Kitten
by Isa the Quiet
Summary: Taken in by Mrs. Frederic as a teenager, Kat is working as a Warehouse agent when Pete and Myka join the team. Tormented by trauma in her past and gifted with a unique ability, Kat juggles her demons while helping her fellow agents in their many adventures.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first time publishing a Warehouse 13 fanfic. You'll notice that the dialogue in this is pretty similar to the dialogue in the show, but it won't always be like that.

I don't own anything in the show besides Kat and her story. Read and review!

Chapter 1

Kat ran through the crowded street like something was chasing her. It was evening in Washington, D.C. and even though it was a weeknight, there were still a lot of people walking around. That didn't matter to Kat, though. All that mattered was that she had to get to the museum or Artie would kill her. Soon it was in sight and Kat slowed her pace so as to seem like she was winding down from a run. She certainly fit the part, dressed in black tights and black running shoes with a black zip-up sweater to protect her arms from the cold. Kat leaned up against a pillar, looking as if she was catching her breath when she heard a voice behind her.

"You're late." Kat slightly turned her head to the left. There was Artie, with his ever-present frown and black bag in his hand. Kat rolled her eyes and proceeded to stretch.

"Relax, Artie. I circled the perimeter twice and checked out possible escape routes. Everything is good to go whenever you are," she said breathlessly. Artie hummed in satisfaction.

"Just about everybody has gone in. We shouldn't have a problem getting in. It's snagging the bloodstone that's going to be the issue." Artie asked her as they slipped past security. Kat shook her brown hair out of its high ponytail and let it flow down over her back. Her light blue eyes scanned the area around them as Artie dug through his bag and pulled out a Tesla. He wordlessly passed it to Kat and closed up his bag. Between the two of them, she had the best aim and he knew it. They continued to walk towards the main gallery when Kat faintly heard screaming off in the distance.

"It sounds like quite the party," she joked grimly. Artie grinned slightly, but said nothing. As they passed through another exhibit, a man came from the direction of the lobby carrying the bloodstone that they had come to collect. He tripped and fell, sending the stone rolling to Artie's feet. Kat aimed her Tesla at the man, waiting for him to make a wrong move. She heard Artie reach into his bag for something and watched as the man pulled out a gun. She looked to Artie, who made a motion to wait.

"Drop that. Whatever it is," the man said. Artie gave Kat a pair of sunglasses and flicked on his own.

"I can't do that, Pete," he said. He placed a missing piece inside the bloodstone and the entire room was filled with a blinding light. The man covered his eyes and Kat put her Tesla in the belt of her pants and grabbed Artie's bag as Artie picked up the bloodstone. They ran to the doors they came from and made their way to the rental car parked around the block.

"Who was that guy, Artie?" Kat said to Artie as she navigated the city streets. Artie was sitting in the passenger seat putting the bloodstone in a box.

"That was Pete Lattimer. Mrs. Frederic has invited him to work at the Warehouse," he said. Kat snuck a look at his face before turning her eyes back to the road.

"Invited or ordered?"

"You know better than I do that they mean the same thing." Kat chuckled darkly and nodded in agreement.

"Is he the only one she's invited?" she asked.

"A woman named Myka Bering is also joining us. They both worked for Secret Service," Artie said.

"You say that like they've already signed the paperwork."

"You're awfully chatty tonight," Artie said dryly.

"I almost shot him, Artie. It'll make for a bad first impression when we meet officially," she said. Artie sighed and crossed his arms.

"Are you mad that I'm driving?" Kat asked with a smile.

"No. I'm just tired," Artie said defensively.

"You weren't the one who had to jog around D.C. today so don't even get me started, old man," Kat said through her laughter. Artie frowned at her as she called him an old man, but overlooked it.

"Did you need me to drive Kat? I can if you're too tired," he asked in a rare moment of concern. Kat shook her head.

"I'm fine, Artie. We're not that far from the airport," she replied in a kind tone of voice. Artie looked like he wanted to say something, but dropped it and leaned back in the seat to relax. Kat smiled at him and focused on the road ahead.

"Wake up Kat. Artie wants to see you at the Warehouse in a half hour," Leena said as she shook Kat's shoulder. Kat turned over in bed and tried to go back to sleep, but Leena kept shaking her.

"I don't wanna," Kat mumbled as she started to wake up. She sat up and gratefully took the cup of coffee Leena offered her.

"Well you're going anyway. If you had woken up an hour ago then we wouldn't have this problem. Finish your coffee and get in the shower," Leena said as she looked through Kat's closet. She selected a pair of dark skinny jeans, a green button up cotton shirt, and brown boots and put them on the bed. She then went into Kat's dresser and pulled out a grey tank top, underwear, and socks. Kat all the while drank her coffee and watched Leena move about the room.

"I think you baby me too much," she said sleepily. Leena turned to scold her, but saw the glazed blue eyes and smiled instead.

"You let me. And you would never get anything done on time if I didn't baby you," she said as she hugged the younger woman. "Now get in the shower or you'll be late. I'll have breakfast waiting for you downstairs." At the mention of food, Kat ran out of bed to the bathroom while Leena laughed at her. 20 minutes later Kat ran downstairs with her hair still dripping with water. She sat at the table just as Leena put a plate of pancakes in front of her. Kat savored her pancakes while Leena brushed and styled her hair into a waterfall braid. Kat grabbed the car keys and kissed Leena's cheek before running out the door.

"Artie! Where do you want me?" Kat called out as she walked into the warehouse. She put the keys on Artie's desk and waited for a response. Noting the silence, she figured that Artie was probably on the warehouse floor and started to do inventory. She was organizing old mission reports when the door suddenly opened. Kat stood and saw Artie leading a man and a woman in suits. The man had brown hair cut close to his head and brown eyes and the woman had curly brown hair and green eyes. Kat recognized the man as the same she and Artie had encountered the night before, but the woman was new to Kat.

"Myka, Pete, this is Kat. She works here as well," Artie said as Kat walked forward, shaking first Myka then Pete's hands.

"Nice to meet you both, though Pete I saw last night at the museum," she said to her new colleagues. They weren't really paying attention to her, but instead were looking around the room. Their eyes were wide as they took in the pegboard with news articles and the desk with files and finally landed on Artie as he stood on the other side of the door leading to the warehouse floor. Kat followed them with an excited grin on her face and shared a knowing look with Artie.

"Ms. Bering, Mr. Lattimer, welcome to Warehouse 13," Artie said as he grandly spread his arm out to space in front of them. Kat and Artie looked at Pete and Myka's faces as they stared out at the rows and rows of shelves holding artifacts.

"I'm thrilled you're on the team," Artie said as he started to head back into the office.

"What team? What is this place?" Myka asked in confusion.

"Officially, K39ZZZ on the North American grid, but I like to think of it as America's attic," Artie answered. Myka and Pete followed Artie into the office with Kat at their heels.

"Kat would you close the door?" Artie asked as he threw his jacket on a hook by the door. Kat gently shut the heavy steel door and casually leaned against it.

"Tell me exactly what I'm doing here," Myka demanded impatiently. Kat raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

"To put it plainly, you're both joining Kat and I as fellow gatherers and protectors of secrets," Artie fumbled with his words.

"Put it plainer," Myka snapped.

"The Warehouse needs your combined talents. Pete's intuitive and you have a scrupulous eye for detail. He's scattershot and you're meticulous. You look and he leaps," Artie said, trying to explain as best as he could. Kat giggled when Pete put his face on the other side of a big microscope.

"There's been a mistake. I'm too valuable to be wasted here," Myka said desperately.

"And there's your mistake," Kat whispered under her breath. Myka glanced at her briefly and then ignored her. Kat watched in amusement as Myka stormed outside to make a call.

"I think she had other plans," Pete said, indicating to the door.

"So did I," Artie said sympathetically.

"I had nothing else going for me," Kat said with a shrug. Artie pointed her to a plate of cookies and Kat greedily took some.

"You act like you've never seen food before," Artie scolded. Kat scowled at him and he felt a slight shiver go up his spine.

"I've only been awake for an hour. Don't test me," Kat said moodily. Artie nervously chuckled before offering Pete milk. Kat and Pete quietly waited while Artie went out and got Myka. The four went down to the Warehouse floor and climbed onto a metal cart with a bar in the front. Kat passed hard hats to Pete and Myka before putting one on and climbing up to the steering wheel. At Kat's insistence, Pete and Myka put both of their hands on the bar. Artie sat next to her while she maneuvered the cart and gave Pete and Myka a brief history of the Warehouse. Kat was zoned out until she heard Pete ask, "What's stored here?"

"This and that. Something along the lines of last night's rock and roll," Artie said vaguely. Myka took her hands off and leaned back as the cart came to a stop. After explaining the science behind the bar's use and some more nagging from Artie, she put her hands back on the bar reluctantly. They eventually came up on a broken plane where Artie got off the cart and reached for his bag. He and Kat both turned around as they saw a large sphere of electrical energy coming towards them.

"Duck and cover," Kat said as she and Artie crouched down on the ground. Pete and Myka leaned away from the bar and watched as the sphere moved further down the row.

"Ow," Myka said as she was hit with some static.

"It's harmless. Sometimes the inventory kicks up a little static," Kat said. Artie took his bag and went down an aisle while Pete and Myka recovered from the shock.

"Why are you grinning?" Myka asked Pete incredulously.

"Don't you think this stuff is kind of cool?" Pete asked hesitantly.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," Kat said as she brushed off her knees. Pete and Myka looked at her with various emotions before looking for Artie. Kat rolled her eyes at them and walked to where Artie was with Pete and Myka following her.

"You stuck together. Good," Artie said as the three came into sight.

"Many of the items here, like the bloodstone that you wrestled with last night Pete, they channel a tangential energy. It's like the energy that forced the museum employee last night into almost committing murder," Artie explained.

"So how does that happen?" Pete asked.

"We're not really sure. Somehow, the matter that is in here has just enough energy to move other matter. Like you," Kat jumped in.

"Move me where?"

"Into trouble," Kat said with a shrug.

"Bunk," Myka declared. Kat raised an eyebrow.

"What about gravity or magnetism? Are they bunk?" she challenged.

"Those and more are forces that we live with every day, but we can't explain them," Artie cut in before the tense could rise. "Do you know how a radio works? You don't care as long as you get the traffic report. If Jefferson were to get his hands on a radio, he would lock it away until he was sure it wasn't going to kill him. And that is what we do here. We take the unexplained and we safely tuck it away in this super-sized Pandora's box."

"Metaphorically speaking," Pete said.

"Well actually Pandora's box is over in Aisle 989-B. Empty, of course," Kat said as she checked the screen of another artifact.

"Did you two rehearse this?" Pete asked. Kat and Artie shared a look and shook their heads no. They both turned back to Pete and froze.

"Hey Pete? Do the world a favor and clear your mind," Artie said cautiously.

"Well that should be easy," Myka quipped. Kat giggled and watched how Pete freaked out over the appearance of an old kettle in his right hand. She ran to another aisle and pushed over a cart holding a large white container, missing Artie's explanation of the kettle.

"Pete this a neutralizer. Think of it as like a fire extinguisher for objects that act up. Bring it over and put it in here," Artie said calmly.

"Some of the objects would generate a big flash, but this will probably just be a little spark. Don't flinch or you could drop it," Kat as she opened the container.

"I have a wish," Myka said as she took the kettle from Pete.

"DON'T!" screamed Artie and Kat as Myka held the kettle. Instantly, a pop was heard and a ferret poked its head out of the kettle. Myka handed the kettle to Pete, who took the ferret before it could run away. Artie took the kettle and doused it in the neutralizer while Kat took the ferret and settled it against her chest with some soft words. She cooed to the ferret while the others kept talking.

"Artie we should probably get going. They still have to drop their stuff off," Kat said as she climbed back onto the cart.

"Good idea. Do you guys want a cookie for the road?" Artie asked as he put the cart back in its place.

"What road?" Myka asked.

"There's rooms for you at Leena's Bed and Breakfast. It's about seven miles down the road. Kat will take you there. I'll join you there in the morning," Artie explained.

"Is this a town?" Myka asked 20 minutes later as they drove to Leena's. Kat sat in the back with the ferret since she didn't have a car of her own.

"It's more like a street," Pete answered. _You're not wrong there_ , Kat thought to herself as she stared out the window. They started bickering over Pete's handwriting and Kat sighed and leaned her head against the window. She was just about to go insane over their arguing when they pulled up at Leena's. Kat got out and ran inside to find Leena already coming through the doors.

"I've brought a pair of teenagers," Kat said sarcastically. Leena grinned at her and introduced herself to Pete and Myka. Kat picked up the ferret's cage and led the way up the stairs as Leena went over details about the building. She set the ferret down outside of a room and went inside her own to take off her boots and exchanged them for slippers. She came back out to find Pete and Leena talking.

"Let me know if your bed is big enough for you," Leena said with a smile as she went downstairs. Pete's face was a mixture embarrassment and discomfort as she walked away.

"Leena's like that. It takes some getting used to," Kat said to him.

"What about you? What do you do here?" Pete asked. Kat shrugged.

"I do whatever Artie needs me to do. Most of the time," she said with a grin. Pete returned it with less discomfort.

"Take your time unpacking. I'll come get you when dinner is ready," Kat said. Pete nodded his thanks and claimed the room next to hers. Kat walked downstairs and went into the kitchen to find Leena pulling out ingredients.

"You said something about his aura, didn't you?" Kat asked jokingly.

"Did that freak him out?" Leena asked as she laughed. She pulled out a glass and poured whiskey in it.

"Just a little. Is that for me? Leena you shouldn't have," Kat said as she reached for the glass. Leena smacked her hand away and pointed to another glass filled with the same liquid.

"That one over there is yours. This one goes up to Myka," she said as she tried holding back a grin. Kat grabbed both and headed upstairs to Myka's room. The door was open so Kat gently knocked against it. Myka jumped at the sound and looked a little relieved to see her.

"I heard you needed a drink," Kat said. She joined the other woman on the bed and gave her a cup and knocked hers against it. Both drained their cups in one gulp and sat in silence for a while.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" Myka asked.

"Nope. My birthday isn't for another three months, but I'm Russian so I've been drinking since I was 12," Kat said calmly. Myka gave her a look, but didn't say anything.

"How are you holding up?" Kat asked gently. Myka gave a long sigh and put her cup on the nightstand.

"I'm not sure how to feel," she said. Kat nodded.

"I understand that. I thought I was being punished when I first came here, but now I wouldn't give it up for anything," Kat said in a comforting tone.

"How long have you been here?" Myka asked.

"I've been here for about seven years," Kat replied.

"Why?"

"Life," Kat said with a grim smile. Myka nodded in agreement. They sat still for another minute before Kat stood up and grabbed their cups.

"Like I told Pete, take your time in unpacking. I'll come get you when dinner is ready," she said as she walked down the stairs. Dinner was a quiet and tense affair, but it was over quickly. Kat watched in concern as Pete and Myka didn't speak to anyone throughout the meal and went up to their rooms when it was over. Kat was at a loss for how to help them and Leena noticed this while they were washing dishes.

"Just give them some time," she said as she hugged Kat. Kat nodded and sighed before going to get ready for bed.

 _It was raining, as it always was in London. At least, that was how it seemed to 8-year-old Kat. Her grandmother had taken her on vacation and had left her alone the entire time with Sophie, their maid. Kat didn't mind, though. She didn't much care for her grandmother anyway. Kat and Sophie were walking to Buckingham Palace from their hotel when Sophie brought Kat into an ice cream store._

" _Katja how much do you know about your grandmother's work?" Sophie speaking in Russian as they sat by the window. Kat frowned at the use of her full name._

" _I know she works with girls, she and Uncle Ivan," she responded as she ate her chocolate chip mint ice cream._

" _And do you know where they take the girls?" Sophie asked. Kat didn't understand where she was going with these questions._

" _Uncle Ivan once told me that they take the girls go to play house with other men and women," she responded with a slight frown._

" _Have you ever seen these girls?" Sophie asked, looking at the door expectantly._

" _Uncle Ivan took a few to his house once. He said that they were all going to play house together," Kat said licking her spoon clean. She froze as she heard the door open and let in a blast of cold air. She remained tense as she heard someone walk to the table. She looked up and saw two men in blue uniforms standing next to Sophie._

" _Katja, these nice men are going to take us with them for a while. They are going to ask us questions about your grandmother and your Uncle Ivan. Do you understand, Kitten?" Sophie said to her, switching to English. Kat stared warily at the men before nodding._

" _We're not going to play house with them, are we? I don't want to play house," Kat said as she started to panic. Sophie came to crouch down at her level._

" _No, Kitten. They're going to help us make sure that you never ever have to play house," she said as she soothingly rubbed circles into Kat's hands. This calmed the little girl down and she stood up, grasping onto Sophie's hand as they followed the men out the ice cream store. She never saw her grandmother again._

Kat sat up quickly and looked at her surroundings. She was lying in her bed at Leena's and her curtains showed her that it was almost dawn. Kat sighed and shakily ran a hand through her hair. It had been a long time since she had dreamt of that day in London, or any memory from her past. It slightly terrified her, but she didn't want to think about it. Kat rolled out of bed and opened the window. She carefully climbed up to the roof and watched the sunrise in her pajamas. Kat admired the colors of the sky for a long while until the whole of the sun was over the horizon before deciding to get ready for the day. She climbed back into her room and put on light blue skinny jeans and a low cut black short-sleeved shirt. She walked downstairs and saw that it was already seven. Kat pulled out ingredients to make croissants and zoned out as she cooked breakfast. Leena came down shortly after she put the croissants in the oven and started making coffee.

"Good morning Kat," she said cheerily.

"Good morning Leena," Kat said with a yawn. She against the counter and finger combed her hair until all the tangles were out.

"What time did you get up? Normally I have to drag you out of bed," Leena asked worriedly.

"Just before dawn. I didn't sleep too well," Kat said. She poured herself a cup of coffee and added milk and sugar while Leena looked at her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked patiently. Kat took a sip of coffee before responding.

"Sophie and I were in London. It was just before my grandmother and uncle were arrested," she said staring into her mug. Leena took the mug from her and held Kat's face in her hands.

"They're not here. They can't hurt you," Leena said softly and slowly. Kat nodded as tears filled her eyes. She hugged Leena tightly and didn't let go for several minutes.

"You know you're like my little sister. I won't let anyone hurt you," Leena said to the younger woman as they pulled apart.

"Thank you," Kat croaked out, her Russian accent making an appearance. She wiped her face dry just as the timer went off. She pulled out the croissants and set them on a cooling rack just as Myka and Pete came down.

"Ooh!" Pete said as he took one. He bounced it in his hands after he realized it was hot.

"Next time wait until they've cooled down," Kat said with a smile on her face. Artie showed up 10 minutes later and sat outside at the table with Myka and Pete. Kat brought out croissants and coffee before going back inside to wash dishes with Leena. Hearing Artie call her name, Kat dried off her hands and went outside.

"Do you still have it with you?" Artie asked her. Kat didn't have to ask what he meant.

"Yeah it's upstairs. I'll go get it," Kat said. She ran to her room and opened the nightstand drawer to reveal a plain wooden box with her Tesla inside. She brought it out to Artie and watched as Pete's face lit up in curiosity.

"What is that?" he asked with a smile.

"It's what I almost shot you with at the museum," Kat said as she sat next to Artie.

"This is a Tesla, named after Nicola Tesla. He cooked this up as an alternative to bullets. It's an electric stun gun. One blast and down you go. Also, it zaps short-term memory, which is why Agent Morris doesn't remember seeing Kat and I at the museum. And that's it," Artie explained. He sat back as Pete and Myka looked at him in confusion.

"What's it?"

"Go to Iowa. Talk to Cody. Find the artifact, if it exists. Neutralize it and bring it back. And don't get killed," Artie summarized their mission. Pete and Myka left shortly after that. Kat stood with Artie and Leena as they waved them off. Kat noticed Leena had on black rubber gloves and raised an eyebrow at her, which Leena didn't see.

"How's her aura?" Artie asked, referring to Myka.

"Tortured. Guilt and grief, mostly. She has a soft spot for the ferret, though. Just like you," Leena answered.

"That was a long time ago," Artie said with a sigh.

"You haven't changed that much. She had a stowaway. I found this in her room," Leena said as she brought up her gloved hand. In it, she held up a pair of tongs that gripped an old wallet. Artie and Kat stared at it in slight fear.

"That's Houdini's wallet. How did it get to Myka?" Kat asked as she took a step back. Artie took a magnetic pouch from his bag and held it gingerly for Leena to place the wallet inside. Kat grinned as Artie started to moan to Leena about mesh screens and shelves.

"What are you smiling about? You're the one that's going to put it back," Artie said. Kat did her best to smother her grin as she followed him to his car. They drove to the Warehouse and worked on inventory for a few hours before Artie got a call from Pete about a recording they needed translated. Pete played it for Artie over the phone while Kat recorded it.

"Artie that sounds like Italian," Kat said after Artie hung up with Pete.

"It does, but I want to run it through a couple of translators just to be sure," he said. After a few minutes going through various translations, Artie called Pete back and told him what he had found out. Artie hung up and started searching for artifacts based on the clues given and Kat tried translating the phrase with her limited knowledge of Italian. After a while, she got frustrated and crumbled up the paper she was writing on. She threw the paper in the trash and closed her eyes while Artie was on a call with Pete.

"If people knew the reasons for my fear, they would be able to understand my pain," Kat heard Pete say. Kat immediately sat up and ran over to the Farnsworth.

"You're absolutely positive that's the translation?" Artie asked in a deathly calm voice.

"That's what Marzatto said," Pete replied. Artie quickly hung up with him after promising to call back.

"Where have I heard that before?" Kat said with a frown. Artie started running around the office pulling out files and opening boxes.

"Are you going to let me in on the excitement?" Kat asked in frustration.

"I'm looking for a picture of a painting of Lucrezia Borgia. There aren't that many of her, but in every one she has this hair piece that could have been imbued with some of her emotions," Artie said as he ran about the room. Kat joined in the search until the entire floor was just about covered in documents and manuscripts.

"We may just need to go down to the floor and find it ourselves," Kat said after tripping over a box of old papers.

"I hoped you wouldn't say that," Artie said as he glared at the mess around him. Kat stared out the window and was struck with an idea.

"Artie, do you still have my old bike in the closet upstairs?" she asked him. Artie nodded and Kat ran to the upstairs closet. She dug behind coats and pulled out a faded blue bicycle that had been leaning against the closet wall. She ran back downstairs where Artie had on protective gear and was writing down the location of the painting on a sticky note.

"Give me the aisle number and I'll meet you down there," Kat said as she grabbed the sticky note from him and copied it onto another one. She put the bike on her shoulder and went down the stairs to the floor. In a storeroom, she found a long cart and was able to attach the clamps up to her bike. She started pedaling down the aisles as fast as she could while avoiding the occasional ball of static. She got to the aisle on the sticky note and turned down it while looking for Artie. He was at the end of the aisle about to open up a chain-link door to another part of the warehouse.

"I haven't been in here before," Kat said to Artie as they entered.

"Hopefully you won't have to go in here too often. Even now this place gives me the creeps," Artie muttered to her. He unzipped the canvas flap and they went inside. Kat stood back as Artie looked around for the right painting. He pushed back a crate and behind it was a stunning portrait of Lucrezia Borgia hiding underneath a plain sheet. She was posed up against a wall and her fingers parted her hair to show jewel-studded comb. Artie heaved a sigh of relief and mumbled something to the painting. He then patted his pockets to find the Farnsworth, but remembered that he left it in the office.

"I figured that you would forget the Farnsworth, which is why I brought a cart," Kat said as she indicated to the door. Artie gave her a grateful look and pulled the painting out to Kat's bike.

"Don't wait for me to get up there. It may take a while for me to get up there with my leg," Artie said as Kat loaded the painting onto the cart. She noticed that Artie was limping, probably from falling from the zip line.

"Even with the cart, it's going to take me a while to get back. This thing is heavy," Kat said as she mounted the bike. It took her a moment to get going, but then she picked up speed as she got used to the added weight. She made it to the base of the stairs and dragged the painting up the stairs with great difficulty. When she made it to the office, Kat set the painting down and sat down heavily on the desk chair. As she was catching her breath, she could hear Artie making his way up the stairs and decided to call Pete and Myka. As Myka answered the call, Kat handed the Farnsworth to Artie and let him explain. Myka cut the call as Artie started frantically talking about how the desires of the comb would if the woman possessing it was not stopped.

"I take it they found what was causing it?" Kat asked as she leaned against the desk.

"Yeah. They were headed to a party when the call cut. Apparently the woman holding the comb was heading there," Artie said as he sat on the ground.

"Pete and Myka will be fine. They'll be back in no time," Kat said to him. Artie nodded and looked at the painting with a forlorn look.

"Now we have to put it back," he said with a sigh.

"Can we make Pete do it instead?" Kat asked with a groan. Artie contemplated it for a moment before nodding in agreement. The pair stayed in the office for a long while before deciding to head over to Leena's for the night.

The next morning Kat went downstairs to find Pete and Myka sitting at the table waiting for breakfast. They had driven through the night to get back and were eagerly awaiting the waffles Leena promised them. Leena put the plate in the middle of the table and kissed Kat's head as she walked back to the kitchen.

"So what did you guys think?" Kat asked them after they had finished eating.

"It was strange, but it wasn't that bad," Pete said. Myka nodded her head in agreement. Her phone rang before she could add more to the conversation and she went outside to answer the call.

"She seems tense," Kat observed.

"It's been a tense couple of days," Pete said in response.

"You're already settled, aren't you?" Kat asked as she watched him finish his coffee.

"Yeah I guess I am," Pete said after thinking it over. Kat smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad. I was getting tired of being the class clown," she said jokingly. Pete faux glared at her before joining in her laughter. Myka joined them a few minutes later and Kat smiled as the two bickered, knowing that something special was blooming.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2! Feedback is always appreciated. I don't own anyone besides Kat!

" _Katie, we have to leave now if we're going to catch our plane on time," Sophie called out to Katja. The young girl came down the stairs of their townhouse. Kat was 14 years old now and she had been living with Sophie since her grandmother and uncle had been sent to prison. The United States government had put them in Witness Protection so that they would safe from any former associates. They had given them new identities as Pamela McLeod and her niece Katherine and set them up in a townhouse in Dallas, Texas. Their lives were peaceful and free from the stress placed on them by Kat's family._

" _I'm coming Aunt Pam," Kat called out from where she sat on the top of the stairs. She slipped on her flats and stood up before feeling a wave of dizziness come over her. She closed her eyes and gripped the banister to steady herself. Behind her eyelids, she saw three men come busting in through the side door with ski masks and guns. One fired three shots into Sophie's chest and ran to the stairs where Kat stood. The vision disappeared and Kat ran down the stairs to hug Sophie._

" _Three men with guns outside the house," she whispered to Sophie. The older woman had come to trust Kat's visions and grabbed two of their suitcases before calmly leaving the house. Kat followed after her with two bags of her own and took it out to the car. Their taxi wasn't supposed to arrive for several minutes, but they didn't want to take chances with getting innocent people involved. The pair drove off and Kat turned to see the same men from her vision enter through the side door like she had seen._

" _You'd better drive faster. They're about to realize that we're gone," Kat said to Sophie in Russian. Sophie didn't say anything, but did as the girl said and sped her way onto the highway. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and gave it to Kat._

" _Call Tom. Tell him we've been blown," Sophie said in Russian. She was speaking about Thomas Kane, their handler within Witness Protection. Kat looked at Sophie as their eyes met and suddenly Sophie's face changed to that of a much younger woman. The blond hair and green eyes were changed to red hair and brown eyes. Sophie's thin face structure didn't change, but there were noticeably less wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. This new woman face's turned smug as she said, "Knock knock."_

Kat sat up abruptly. She was sweating profusely and her arms had long red marks from where her nails attacked while she was sleeping. This was the third time she had this dream in the past two weeks. It had been a month since Myka and Pete first started working at the warehouse and since Kat had gotten a full night's rest. Her dreams had been plagued by memories and horrendous visions of prostitutes being killed as men watched. It had gotten so bad to the point where it was affecting how Kat went through her daily routine. Leena was the first to notice the change and then Myka and Pete realized something was wrong. Finally Artie had told her yesterday to stay and rest at the B&B for a week before coming back to work. He was normally oblivious to anything regarding their personal lives, mainly because he didn't know how to handle another person's feelings.

Kat looked over at her alarm and saw that it was 4 am. She sighed and, knowing she wasn't going to get much sleep, got out of bed. She quietly padded barefoot down the stairs to the living room where an upright piano had been pushed up against the wall. With Artie staying at the Warehouse and Myka and Pete away on a mission, there was no risk of waking anyone up since Leena always slept like the dead. Kat quietly played through several scale warm-ups before playing the beginning notes to Clair de Lune by Debussy. Kat swayed back and forth as her fingers flew over the keys and she closed her eyes, letting muscle memory take over. When the piece ended, Kat started over again and kept repeating the piece until the sun was high in the sky and she heard the front door slam in the distance. Kat could barely hear hushed voices over the piano and finally they came slowly walking towards her. The person stood behind Kat as she finished the piece and let the notes hang in the air. She looked up to see Leena and Myka staring at her worriedly. Kat's face flushed in embarrassment and she looked away.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me," she said as her eyes filled with tears. Her Russian accent was more pronounced as sadness and fear filled her voice. Leena hugged her from behind and Myka put a hand on her shoulder. Pete came into the room holding a mug and a plate of eggs in his hands. He looked solemn for once and set the food on top of the piano.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. Kat had tears streaming down her face, but she wiped them away quickly.

"Not right now. Shouldn't you and Myka be at the Warehouse reporting back to Artie?" she asked. Pete ignored the obvious deflection and chose to answer her question.

"We came back to shower. Take our advice: never go looking for an artifact in a zoo," he said with a grossed out look on his face. Kat giggled at that and reached for the eggs.

"I'll remember that. Are you guys about to leave? I'll come with you," she said after a few bites.

"Not until you've finished your breakfast and put on fresh clothes. I'm sure Pete and Myka will wait for you," Leena said sternly. Kat looked down and saw that she was still in her shorts and off the shoulder t-shirt that she wore to bed.

"Yeah there's no rush. Take your time," Myka said encouragingly. Kat nodded and finished her breakfast quickly. She took a shower to clean off the dried sweat and threw on an oversized blue hoodie and grey skinny jeans. She slipped on black boots and went downstairs to find Pete and Myka. They were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee, but stood as Kat came in sight. The three of them drove over to the warehouse and saw that the door was wide open. Kat felt panic rise up in her and bolted from the car. She ran inside, ignoring shouts from Pete and Myka. Reaching the end of the hallway, she punched in the code and quickly opened the door. There were papers all over the floor and the computers were still on.

"What happened here?" she heard Myka ask. Myka and Pete both had their guns out, but put them away when no one else appeared.

"Artie would never leave his Farnsworth," Myka said, pointing to the small object on the desk.

"Yeah. If there were trouble he would have triggered the-"

"The alarm?" Myka asked holding up a button that had been previously under the desk.

"Someone took Artie?" Pete asked. Kat sat on the stairs and watched numbly as Myka tinkered with the computer and fought with Pete at the same time. The sound of the Farnsworth distracted the trio and they stared at the device. Kat bolted to it and answered the incoming call with Pete and Myka looking over her shoulders. Mrs. Frederick's face popped on the screen.

"I'm calling for Artie and you three are decidedly not he," she said flatly.

"Hi Mrs. Frederick. We've got some bad news," Pete said awkwardly.

"Artie's gone. Someone took him," Kat said. Mrs. Frederick frowned.

"That doesn't happen. Agents don't get taken out of the Warehouse. Our security system is-" Mrs. Frederick paused as she watched Pete hold up the broken alarm. Her frown got deeper. "I see. So the person who's breached the security, he's taken Artie."

"Yeah do you have any idea who this guy is?" Pete asked. Kat went very still and thought about her dream and the red headed woman driving the car.

"So can we put out an APB or alert the authorities?" Myka asked, startling Kat from her daydream.

"We are the authorities. What did you learn from the durational spectrometer?"

"We haven't had the chance to use it yet, Mrs. F," Kat said. Behind her, Pete and Myka gave each confused looks.

"Once you have a positive I.D., let me know. And stay put. I don't need four missing agents. Consider yourselves under lockdown," Mrs. Frederick ordered. The screen went black a second later and the two former Secret Service agents turned to Kat.

"What is the durational spectrometer?" Myka asked.

"The durational spectrometer shows the after images of anyone who's been in the room in the last five hours," Kat explained as she closed the Farnsworth. "Artie has it stored around here somewhere." Kat disappeared inside the filing room and Pete and Myka heard things flying around and crashing to the floor. Kat reappeared a minute later, proudly brandishing a device that looked like a weird speedometer.

"I found it! It's been ages since we've needed to use it," she said excitedly. Seeing Myka's frown, Kat reluctantly held it out to Pete.

"Would you like to play?" she asked sweetly. Pete smiled grimly and took the device from her.

"Be careful," Myka said. Pete nodded, flicked on a switch, and pointed to the door. Shadows of Kat, Myka, and Pete were frozen up against the door and Pete grinned.

"That's cool."

"Isn't it?" Kat said, jumping up and down. Myka gave her a small smile and motioned for her to calm down. The two women watched as Pete fiddled with the buttons more and the shadows started moving across the room. He fiddled with it a third time and shadows of a red headed woman dragging Artie from the room showed. Kat paled. It was the same woman from her dream.

"Who is that?" Myka asked.

"I don't know. Hang on," Pete said as he twisted another button. The shadows moved in reverse until Artie was sitting in his chair staring up at the woman. His lips moved, but the trio couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Claudia Donovan," Pete said after staring at Artie's mouth. "My sister taught me how to read lips."

"Okay Claudia Donovan. Where are you now?" Kat said to herself as she searched the name.

"Mrs. Frederick said we should stay here," Myka protested.

"Really? I didn't hear that," Pete negated.

"Neither did I," Myka agreed.

"Guys, it looks like she was institutionalized," Kat said as the results of the search came up.

"What if she's dangerous?" Myka asked worriedly. The sound of the printer coming to life was heard and several sheets of paper came flying out.

"There's one way to find out. We'll go looking for her," Kat said as she retrieved the papers. Pete took the papers from her and grabbed his coat.

"Myka and I will check out her apartment. Why don't you do some more digging to see what else you can find out about her?" he said as he made for the door. Kat got in his way and crossed her arms.

"That is all I found on her. And you're not leaving without me. Artie's my friend too and I want to help get him back," she said stubbornly.

"How did you have all that ready so quickly?" Myka asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say I've had my eye on her for a while," Kat said defensively.

"And you didn't bother telling us?" Pete asked.

"I just had her face to go off of. And I didn't want to ask Artie for help because he would have asked a lot of questions like you two are doing. Now can we please go? The longer we argue about this, the farther that woman can take him from us," Kat pleaded. The three of them left shortly after that and headed to Claudia Donovan's apartment. Pete and Myka flashed their badges and the trio gained entry to the apartment. Kat slowly walked in after the agents and took in the sight. The walls were covered in pictures, newspaper articles, and journal entries involving Artie.

"So I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Ms. Donovan was stalking Artie," Kat said sarcastically. Myka gave her a blank look and moved over to the bookshelves. The trio sat reading through the mess before Pete spoke.

"So far, none of this stuff is telling me where Claudia might have taken Artie. Are either of you finding anything?"

"For a kid, she seems pretty focused on the 16th century. She's definitely a thinker," Myka answered, looking at the books. Kat frowned at her from her spot on the floor. Claudia wasn't much younger than Kat and because of that she was automatically lumped into the "kid" group, which she didn't like.

"Rheticus," Myka said with a sigh. Kat's frown got deeper.

"The mapmaker?" she asked in confusion. Myka nodded in confirmation before continuing her banter with Pete.

"It looks like our girl genius took something with her," she said, pushing apart two books that were leaning against each other. She took several books off the shelf and handed some to Pete and Kat. The three of them struggled to read the massive tomes while fighting exhaustion.

"A compass," Myka said.

"What?" Kat asked as she rubbed her face tiredly.

"Rheticus claimed he owned it, only no one ever saw it. It says here it probably never existed. It's just folklore."

"Is it just me or does that sound all artifact-y?" Pete said.

"So what do we do now?" Kat asked as she stood and stretched.

"I guess we go back to the Warehouse and dig for more information?" Myka said. They left the books where they were and exited the tiny apartment. Pete's cell rang on their way out the door and he answered it.

"Artie! Are you alright?" he exclaimed when he heard Artie's voice. Myka and Kat crowded Pete and pestered him to give them the phone. Artie hung up the phone after several minutes of trying to make them leave him alone.

"He hung up. Now let's get back before Frederic finds out we're gone," Myka said angrily.

"I hate to say it, but she probably already knows that we're gone. We never called her back about what the durational spectrometer showed us," Kat said hesitantly. Myka gave an angry sigh before getting into the car and slamming the door.

"Seriously, if Mrs. Frederic can call us, we should be able to call her. Is there a star 69 on this thing?" Pete said as they walked into the Warehouse.

"I don't think that was a thing when Farnsworth created them," Kat said grimly as she sat down at the computer.

"Why doesn't Artie want us to help him? What's going on?" Myka asked.

"Yes, what's going on indeed," came Mrs. Frederic's voice. The three of them turned around at the sound. Mrs. Frederic was standing just in front of the door where they had been.

"I told you," Kat mumbled to Myka.

"I believe I told you to stay put."

"It would be nice if we could contact you. We had a lead and we decided to follow it," Myka said, interrupting Pete's nervous rambling.

"Don't make her angry," he whispered to her.

"What kind of lead?" Mrs. Frederic asked.

"Artie is with Claudia Donovan. Voluntarily," Kat said. Mrs. Frederic's expression didn't change much.

"Do you know where they are?" Myka asked her.

"It's possible, but we've got bigger fish. You need to get down to the Warehouse floor." Pete furiously wrote down the directions as Myka protested.

"Wait, we have a right to know where Artie-"

"Ms. Bering, you're right to know extends exactly as far as I say it does. If Artie is working with Claudia, he may be trying to re-create her brother's experiment," Mrs. Frederic interrupted.

"And that's bad?" Pete asked as he scribbled on his notepad.

"Where do you work?" Mrs. Frederic asked rhetorically.

"The Rheticus compass," Myka said suddenly.

"His experiments were successful that's why he didn't disappear into thin air."

"And Joshua did," Pete cut in.

"You have to find where Joshua went wrong 12 years ago," Mrs. Frederic explained.

"I still don't understand why you don't tell us-"

"What? Tell you where he is? If you run after Artie governed solely by your affection for him, you won't be helping him."

"I don't think it's a bad thing to care about Artie," Myka defended herself.

"She's right. We can't walk into this blindly," Kat said from the chair she had sat in.

"Artie needs information, not emotion. You go empty-handed, the experiment ends up just as it did before. You're merely three more lost bodies," Mrs. Frederic elaborated.

"So what are we looking for?"

"I'm not certain, but every artifact in this Warehouse is an extension of a person. Understand Rheticus, understand the compass. And for the record, I care a great deal what happens to Artie." The older woman left without another word.

"I guess we better get down there and find whatever it is we're looking for," Kat said with a sigh. The three walked to their location with help from the instructions Pete wrote down. On the bottom of a shelf was a collection of things that once belonged to Rheticus. Kat watched impatiently as Pete and Myka dug through them.

"I'm guessing Artie thought these were useless. They're all Rheticus gadgets, but none of them tripped Artie's trigger," he said in frustration.

"Joshua had to figure all these rules to make the compass work. He even figured out this complicated differential equation. He was a genius," Myka said as she looked over a stack of papers.

"Yeah and the compass still didn't work," Kat said with her head in her hand. Pete opened up a small box with a ball inside. Engraved in the ball was the letter "t," which didn't make sense to Pete or Kat.

"I don't know what it means. Artie's notes said that Rheticus' work often expressed a need for order. So what did Joshua miss?" Myka snapped.

"Maybe he translated something wrong?" Kat put in. Pete started messing with a globe made of bronze, distracting Kat from her line of thought.

"You said rules and order, right? Well, after spending the last couple of months with someone who also likes those things, you know, crosswords, puzzles?" Pete asked.

"So?"

"So…" Pete trailed off. He grasped the top of the globe and yanked on it, detaching it from the frame holding it up. Words and symbols were inscribed on the places that had been hidden from sight. "So did Rheticus."

"A secret panel," Myka said in surprise. Kat grabbed for a box and tried to find anything that could hint at another secret panel. Pete and Myka joined the effort and the trio several minutes trying to find more panels.

"This guy was nuts for secret panels," Pete exclaimed after finding another.

"Yeah and they weren't mentioned in any of Claudia's books," Myka pointed out.

"If she didn't know, it's a safe bet that Artie and Joshua didn't know," Kat said as she gave her box to Myka.

"You see the writing around these edges?" the agent asked.

"Yeah, it's Latin. Let me guess, you speak Latin too?" Pete asked rhetorically.

"Make one more nerd joke, and I'm going to point out how you're losing your hair," Myka retorted. Kat stifled a giggle as Pete worriedly touched his hair.

"The rules are in Latin, and rules teach us how to use the objects." Pete put the things back in the trunk they were in and put the trunk back on the shelf.

"So Joshua took them off the compass himself," he concluded.

"Yeah, but he was missing something," Myka muttered.

"Rheticus hid some rules," Kat said, slowly processing the new information.

"And Joshua never saw them," Myka finished.

"Nice. And I'm not losing my hair," Pete as they walked back up to the office.

"So there's something hidden on the compass," Myka explained to Mrs. Frederic when they got to Leena's.

"And we think it's the rule that Joshua missed," Pete continued. "In Artie's notes, it said Joshua had everything that he needed for his experiment in his lab."

"Where it was locked up for 12 years."

"But, before Artie hung up, he said that he had everything that he needed. Bing, bang, boom. Claudia took Artie to the lab," Pete finished with a flourish.

"You took the initiative, and you recognized what needed to be done, all in Artie's absence. I'm pleased," Mrs. Frederic said with a smile.

"Why the test? Was Artie going somewhere?" Myka asked.

"Let's hope not. The directions are in the file. You should get to that lab and quickly. We don't know how much time we've got left," Mrs. Frederic said, dismissing them. The trio ran for the car and drove like bats out of hell to Joshua's lab.

"Guys I have a bad feeling about this," Kat said as they pulled up outside of the building.

"Everything's going to be fine," Myka told her. She didn't look too confident in her words, but no one called her out on it. The three found the lab and stormed in to find things going haywire with Artie at the near center of it.

"Artie!" Pete yelled as he saw the older man.

"I told you not to follow me," Artie protested.

"We came here to save you," Pete screamed over the noise of electricity crackling in the air.

"Is that Claudia Donovan?" Kat asked, pointing to the girl on the floor.

"Yeah she's just unconscious. What?" Artie asked.

"Joshua didn't have all the rules, Artie."

"Rheticus loved puzzles." 

"And his designs had secret panels."

"It's inside the compass," Artie said as he realized what Myka meant.

"Yes, in Latin. Where is it? Where is the compass?"

"We just have to pop open the panel and find out which rule it is, so where is it?" Pete asked frantically.

"I don't have it." Artie's eyes glazed over in thought and Kat's stomach dropped.

"I don't like that look. Artie, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I think I can save him," Artie said as he reset the fuses and helped Claudia to her feet.

"Don't do this! Artie!" Myka screamed at him. A ball of energy came flying towards Artie and Kat thought she could see the shape of a man in the ball.

"Joshua, touch my hand!" Artie screamed to the man. Their hands met and the three of them disappeared in a burst of bright light.

"Artie?" Kat asked in a quiet voice. She moved to where he had disappeared from, but Pete held her back.

"Let me go Pete. I have to go get him!" she struggled against him. A moment later, another flash of light came and Artie appeared, accompanied by Claudia and a young man Kat assumed was Joshua.

"Artie? Are you okay?" she asked again. He nodded and moved over to them. Kat ran to hug him tightly and then slapped his arm.

"Never do that to me again!" she scolded him in Russian. He smiled at her and responded back in the same language.

"I'll try not to." Pete came over and clapped him on the shoulder.

"I thought we lost you, buddy," he said grimly. The four Warehouse agents watched the tearful reunion between brother and sister and were silently thankful that they made it through the day. The six of them drove to Leena's where Claudia and Joshua were given rooms and Pete and Myka debriefed Artie on how they and Kat managed while he was gone. Kat declined the offer to join them for dinner and instead went up to her room where she pulled out her hidden bottle of whiskey and a paper Dixie cup. She took these things and climbed up to the roof to watch the sun set.

"Hey," came a voice. Kat looked down and saw Claudia's head poking out of her window.

"Hey," Kat replied.

"What are you doing up here by yourself?" Claudia asked as she leaned against the windowsill.

"Just thinking," Kat replied with a shrug.

"Sounds dangerous," Claudia joked. Kat gave a small laugh and poured herself a shot of whiskey.

"Yeah it can be. Do you want to join me?" she asked. _Where did that come from?_ she thought to herself. She never invited anyone to sit on the roof with her and now she was letting a girl she barely knew come to her sacred spot. She was conflicted and hoped Claudia would say no.

"Sure. Give me a second," Claudia said. Kat mentally groaned and made room for her on the roof. Claudia clumsily climbed up next to Kat and the pair sat in silence for a long while.

"I already thanked Myka and Pete for helping me get Joshua back, but I didn't get to thank you," Claudia said as Kat took another shot. Kat grimaced slightly at the burn and looked at the younger woman.

"I didn't do much. Pete and Myka did most of it," she protested. Claudia shrugged.

"Either way, you helped and that's what matters to me," she replied. The two were silent for a little while longer Kat poured another shot and held it out to Claudia.

"Here's to hoping you get to keep your brother for many years to come," Kat said.

"I'm not 21 yet," Claudia said, not taking her eyes away from the paper cup.

"Neither am I and yet I have this bottle of very fine whiskey in my possession. Take the shot," Kat encouraged. Claudia hesitantly took the cup and downed the whiskey in one gulp. She coughed a bit and Kat gently patted her back.

"Easy there. The first shot is always the hardest," Kat said soothingly.

"That was pretty gross. Why do you drink that stuff?" Claudia asked with a disgusted look on her face.

"I like the taste. And it helps me think," Kat replied as she poured herself a shot.

"This helps you think?" Claudia asked incredulously. The burn had faded and she had to admit the taste of the whiskey wasn't so bad.

"Yeah. It's hard to tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing this time," Kat said after her shot. She poured some more whiskey into the cup and handed it to Claudia who took it without hesitation.

"That thing looks like it's almost empty. How long have you been up here?" Claudia asked. Kat shrugged.

"An hour or so. This bottle was half empty when I came up here," she said. She studied Claudia from the corner of her eye. She still had the tiniest bit of baby fat on her face, but her sharp features and high cheekbones gave her a sort of regal appearance. Her red hair gleamed brightly in the dying light and her brown eyes reflected the colors of the sunset almost perfectly. Kat thought back on the feelings of fear from her most recent dream and realized that this woman's face didn't stir up a sense of fear at all. In fact, she almost felt… _safe_.

"Why did you really come up here, Claudia?" Kat asked softly, her accent more pronounced because of the alcohol. Claudia, who hadn't noticed the near obvious scrutiny, turned to her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She poured herself a shot and downed it quickly.

"The only person who knows that I come up here is Leena and she wouldn't tell you where I was unless it was something she thought was important," Kat explained. Claudia stared at the bottle and pretended to read the label.

"I just got Joshua back and I'm really happy about that, but I don't know where to go from here. I have to stay to write some report for Artie or something and then they're letting me go. We can do anything we want, but I'm not really sure what I want right now," Claudia said. Kat's gaze softened and she gently took the bottle from her.

"What are you scared about?" she asked her. Claudia hesitated before answering.

"I don't know," Claudia said stubbornly. Her hands had tightened into fists and unclenched themselves while she spoke. Kat set the bottle down and took one of Claudia's hands in hers. A shock went through her body as she touched her, but she ignored the feeling.

"The good news is you don't have to figure out what you want to do right away. If you feel like leaving, you can always ask Artie to help you find somewhere to go. I'm sure he'd be happy to help," Kat said encouragingly.

"Thanks for letting me get that off my chest," Claudia said after a long while. The sun had set and the sky was turning dark as the stars came out.

"No problem. This session was free. Next time, I'll charge you by the hour. I need to find some way to pay for all this liquor. Speaking of which, I believe we've finished off the whiskey," Kat said as she held up the empty bottle. The two women laughed and stood to get off the roof with Claudia in front. As she got closer to the ledge, her foot slipped on one of the tiles and she fell and started sliding off the roof.

"No!" Kat dove to latch onto Claudia's hand and braced herself against the side of the roof. Claudia clung to Kat's arm and shut her eyes tight.

"Claudia, I need to pull you up. I'm going to start pulling, okay?" Kat asked soothingly. Claudia nodded, but said nothing. Kat slowly started pulling her arm up and used her spare hand to grab onto Claudia's shirt. When Claudia's chest was over the railing, Kat used her remaining strength to twist herself onto her back, pulling Claudia completely onto the roof. They lay like that for a long while, Claudia's head resting on Kat's chest. Kat closed her eyes and felt relieved that she hadn't dropped her.

"Well now I have another reason to thank you," Claudia said breathlessly. Kat opened her eyes to see Claudia smiling at her. Kat couldn't help but smile and pushed some of Claudia's hair out of her face.

"Are you okay?" Kat asked. Claudia nodded and laid her head back down. She took deep breaths to calm herself before realizing that she was still laying on Kat.

"Sorry. I must be crushing you," she said as she rolled off. Kat felt a little sad that Claudia moved away from her, but pushed that feeling away.

"Let's try that again, but this time, how about I go first?" Kat suggested.

"I like that plan," Claudia said, glancing apprehensively towards the ledge.

"Just watch where I put my hands and feet," Kat said as she lowered herself onto the windowsill. She stood with her head out the window and motioned for Claudia to come down. Claudia came down slowly, but safely made it back inside of Kat's room.

"Maybe next time I won't give you whiskey so that you don't trip again," Kat joked as she shut the window.

"Yeah, but eventually I'll get so good at climbing down while I'm drunk that it will be second nature when I'm sober," Claudia said with a loud laugh. Kat shushed her quietly and crept quietly to her slightly open door. The hall lights were on, but there were no lights underneath any of the doors. Kat silently beckoned Claudia to follow her as she took her to her room. Kat opened Claudia's door and pulled her inside before shutting the door again and turning on the lights. Inside was a full sized bed with a purple comforter and sheets, a black dresser, and a black desk and chair. A door that opened to a small closet was just a few feet away from the dresser.

"It's not much, but you can personalize it however way you want to. We didn't think to go back to your apartment for any of your clothes so I'll lend you some of mine for now," Kat said quietly. Claudia nodded exaggeratedly and giggled to herself as she took off her boots.

"Okie doke!" she whispered yelled as she kicked her boots off. Kat stared at her in confusion.

"How many shots did you have?" she asked the younger woman.

"I can't remember, but we finished the bottle so it must have been a lot," Claudia said brightly as she lay back on the bed. Kat smirked and shook her head before going out to her room. She went to her closet and pulled out a thick hoodie and sweatpants for Claudia to sleep in. Kat quietly crept back into Claudia's room to see the redhead sitting up waiting for her.

"These are for you. We can go get your stuff in the morning, but these should fit until then," Kat said, giving the clothes to Claudia. Claudia stood and took off her shirt and pants, leaving her in just her bra and underwear. Kat's mouth went dry and she blushed furiously before turning to face the door.

"You could have told me to leave if you wanted to change," she said shakily. Claudia was too drunk to notice the change in her voice and instead hugged Kat from behind.

"It's okay. I trust you, Kitten," Claudia said in a giggly voice. Kat froze at the nickname and waited for Claudia to remove her arms before turning to face her.

"Please don't call me Kitten, Claudia," she said softly as she picked up her hoodie and gave it to the other woman. Claudia threw it on before pulling on the sweatpants and plopping down on the bed.

"You don't like the name? Why not? I think it's cute," she asked sleepily. Kat gently pushed Claudia under the sheets and tucked the blankets in around her.

"That's a story for another day," Kat said sadly. She went back to her own room and changed for bed. She lay down on her bed, but was unable to sleep peacefully, her thoughts and dreams plagued by a certain redhead.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello all! Here is chapter 3. Fair warning: there is some mention of kidnapping and rape.

 _She was running, trying to get away from the men in black. They had been following her silently for the past few days and they had decided to grab her today of all days. It was Sophie's birthday, and Kat was trying to pick up the cake she had ordered for dessert later that night. Several months had passed since the last time these men had come to take her. Tom was able to get Sophie and Kat to New Orleans safely, but Kat had become paranoid, knowing that they would come after them again. Sophie was paranoid as well, but she tried to be strong for Kat whenever she had a manic episode after a vision. With Sophie's help, Kat had slowly started to lose her paranoia and was even brave enough to leave the house and pick up Sophie's birthday cake. Big mistake._

 _Kat ran along the crowded street and threw anything she could grab at her pursuers, knocking over food stands and discarded bicycles in the process. She could hear their screams of frustration as she made their way harder and pushed on to cut into an alley. At the end of the alley was a short brick wall that Kat easily vaulted over and kept running. She ran through the makeshift tents of homeless men and women and ran to the backdoor of an apartment building. Kat found herself going down a flight of stairs to the basement and threw open a random door. She locked it behind her and pushed a table and two chairs up against the door. She looked around for a place to hide and noticed that she was in the laundry room. Good, hopefully someone would call the police if they ever found her body. Kat crammed herself into the back left corner behind a washing machine and pulled out her cell phone._

" _Katie? Where are you, honey? You've been gone for half an hour," came Sophie's voice as she answered the call._

" _Sophie I don't have much time. They've found us, the same men that found us in Dallas. They chased me out of the store and now I don't know where I am. I'm in the laundry room of some apartment complex and I've barricaded myself inside," Kat said hurriedly._

" _Stay on the line, Katja. I'll call Tom on the emergency phone and he'll come find you," Sophie said, slightly panicking. Kat heard voices yelling outside of the room and pressed herself behind the washing machine. She heard someone try to open the locked door and cursed to herself._

" _Sophie there's no time for that. They've found me. Sophie don't cry please," she said as she heard the older woman sob over the phone._

" _Sophie, thank you so much for everything you've for me. I love you and I'll never forget you," Kat whispered in Russian as the door was broken down. She hid the phone behind the washing machine and tried to make herself small. The tallest man saw her and dragged her over to his companions._

" _Did you really think you could run from us, little girl?" he taunted in Russian. Kat had tears running down her cheeks, but glared defiantly and spit in his face. He frowned at her and slapped her across the face._

" _Pasha, stop! The boss told us not to hurt her," the short one said. Pasha glared at him, but didn't hit Kat again. He dragged her out of the building and to their car with Kat struggling to get away._

" _Let me go! Where are you taking me?" she screamed at the men. Pasha smiled evilly at her._

" _Your dear Uncle Ivan wants to see his favorite niece again," he said with glee. Kat paled and struggled even harder to no avail. The fat one bound her hands and feet together and tossed her in the trunk of the car. Kat kicked and cursed at them from the trunk the entire way to their destination. As the men opened the trunk, the short one put a gag in her mouth to shut her up and heaved her over his shoulder. Kat kept screaming from behind the gag and kicked the air with all her might. She felt the man go up a set of stairs and through a hallway before she was tossed down on the ground. Kat gave a grunt of pain as she landed heavily on her right side and looked at her surroundings. The walls were a faded blue with equally faded yellow trim along the ceiling and the floor. Elegant white couches were placed in a circular formation around the spacious room. Bookshelves lined the walls with small coffee tables placed in between them, all painted white. The only piece of dark furniture was a blood red chair at the front of the room. The man sitting in the chair looked at Kat and smiled cruelly at her. Kat froze and studied his face. He was pale and had blue eyes like her, but his hair was dirty blond and his face and body were slightly chubby. He certainly looked like her Uncle Ivan._

" _Katja Vasilissa Pavlova. My dear niece. You have grown so much," he said in English. His tone would have been endearing if his minions hadn't tied her up like a wild animal._

" _I'm guessing you didn't come quietly," he said, referring to the gag in her mouth. He came down to where she sat and took it out. Kat spit in his face and scooted back._

" _Get away from me!" Ivan glared at her as he wiped his face._

" _You always were a feisty child. I see that hasn't gone away at all," he said blankly. He waved away the two men standing next to Pasha and went to sit in his chair._

" _What do you want from me?" Kat asked suspiciously. He smirked at her._

" _Tell me where Sophie is," he said._

" _I don't know," Kat said immediately. Ivan raised an eyebrow at her._

" _You don't? That's a shame. I really wanted to try and be a better uncle for you, but that won't happen if you behave like a stubborn child." Kat glared at him._

" _Don't lie to me. I'm not an idiot. I really don't know where Sophie is," she said. A muscle twitched in Ivan's jaw as he leaned forward._

" _Then how have you survived this long without her?" he asked mockingly._

" _I hitchhiked my way here. I lost Sophie shortly after we escaped your guys in Dallas and lived on the streets until a month ago when I was taken in by another family," Kat said with a straight face. She hoped Ivan wouldn't see through her ruse, but she knew it was false hope she relied on._

" _Bullshit. I don't believe you survived on your own for seven months. I'm going to ask you nicely one last time. Where is Sophie?" Ivan asked angrily._

" _I don't know," Kat said in the same tone of voice. Ivan sighed and looked over at Pasha before standing up._

" _I had hoped to avoid this option, but I need to know where Sophie is. Pasha is going to make sure you tell us where is. I didn't tell him how to do it, so whatever happens to you is your own fault from here on out," Ivan said to Kat. Kat looked at Pasha, who was running his eyes up and down her body. The fear that had been replaced by anger resurfaced and Kat felt her blood run cold. Ivan stroked Kat's face as she stared frozen at Pasha._

" _This is your fault, my sweet Kitten. We could have been a family again," he whispered in her ear. Kat jerked away from him._

" _You killed my parents, your sister and brother-in-law. We will never be a family ever again," she spat at him in Russian. Ivan shook his head at her and walked to the door._

" _Do what you want," he said to Pasha as he closed the door. Kat watched in terror as Pasha came closer to her and loosened his belt._

Kat bolted out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Last night's dinner came back up and Kat hugged the toilet for a long while. When she had nothing left in her stomach to throw up, Kat flushed away the vomit and brushed her teeth. She looked at herself in the mirror and grimly noticed that her skin was paler than usual and the bags under her eyes were purple from exhaustion. She looked and felt like a hot mess and even she knew when it was time to do something about it. Seeing that it was almost nine o'clock, Kat tied her hair up in a bun and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Leena and Claudia were sitting at the table drinking tea and coffee. Myka and Pete had gone to New York for a mission, but were due back later in the day.

"Whoa, Kat. You don't look so good," Claudia asked as she finished her coffee. Kat automatically poured more coffee into Claudia's cup before grabbing her own cup from the cabinet.

"I just had a rough night," she said as she poured coffee into her mug. She mixed in cream and sugar before setting it down in front of her.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Leena asked as she sipped her tea.

"My nightmares have been getting out of hand lately and it's affecting my sleep," Kat said quietly. She hadn't yet sipped her coffee since her stomach was still unsteady so she leaned back and tried to relax.

"Are you sure they're just nightmares?" Leena asked knowingly.

"What does that mean?" Claudia asked. Kat looked at Leena with an annoyed expression as she answered the question.

"Leena's asking if my nightmares are visions and no, they are not. They're memories that I would rather not relive or think about again." Claudia looked worriedly between Kat and Leena. In the several weeks since she had become a Warehouse agent, she noticed that the two women were like sisters and almost never argued. This was the first time Claudia was actually seeing one of their arguments and she didn't want to be caught in the middle.

"You need to talk to somebody."

"I can handle it on my own." Kat folded her arms across her chest stubbornly and kept her eyes on Leena's.

"You need help," Leena insisted.

"The Warehouse doesn't have a shrink," Kat said. She stood to clean up the table, but Leena kept her from doing so.

"Then talk to one of us," Leena pleaded.

"I don't want to burden you."

"You're not a burden. We're your friends. We care about you."

"I know that, but that doesn't mean I believe it. I'm still waiting for you all to wake up and kick me out," Kat said. Their voices had escalated until Kat's words echoed throughout the house. Claudia and Leena looked at Kat in surprise and watched as the woman fell back into her seat and put her face in her hands. No one moved for a long while and the only sound came from the grandfather clock chiming in the living room.

"I know you think you can handle everything on your own, but it's tearing you apart. Artie put you on forced leave. If you're not going to talk to anyone of us, then you need to at least talk to Mrs. Frederic," Leena said with finality. Kat looked up apprehensively.

"Mrs. Frederic is busy. I don't want to bother her with this," she said after thinking on the idea.

"It wouldn't be a bother at all," came Mrs. Frederic's voice. Leena and Claudia both jumped at the sound whereas Kat didn't move an inch. She turned her head to the Warehouse caregiver and raised an eyebrow.

"You would be willing to listen to my problems with your busy schedule?" Kat asked skeptically.

"The safety of the Warehouse rests with the agents who work within its walls. It is my job to find agents who can handle this line of work and to make sure that they remained focused on their task. If something is keeping you from doing your job, I need to know what it is, both as your employer and as your guardian," Mrs. Frederic replied. It might have been her imagination, but Kat thought she saw tenderness in Mrs. Frederic's face as she spoke to her. Kat sighed and nodded in acceptance.

"When would be a good time?"

"Right now. Get showered and pack a bag. We are going to run an errand and then afterwards we can talk about what has been on your mind. I'll call Artie while you get ready," Mrs. Frederic said. Kat drank her coffee in four large gulps and put it in the sink. She ran up stairs and did as she was ordered. Claudia came in while she was packing and sat on her bed.

"I didn't know that Mrs. F is your guardian," she said curiously.

"Yeah, that's a long story," Kat said as she dug through her drawers for socks.

"You also never told me that you get visions," Claudia continued.

"I'm weird enough without the visions. I didn't want you to think I was insane, too. Plus it takes me a while to really open up to anyone. I haven't even told Myka or Pete yet," Kat said as she moved to her closet.

"Well I'm honored to have found out before them. And I think the visions are really cool, almost like you have a super power."

"As long as you don't start calling me Katwoman we should be fine," Kat joked. Her hands were shaking so bad she was barely able to fold her clothes. Claudia grabbed both of her hands and soothingly rubbed circles into the palms.

"You can get through this. We will help you through this," she said simply. Kat squeezed her hands in thanks and closed her up her travel bag. The pair went downstairs to the living room where Leena and Mrs. Frederic had been talking. They stopped their conversation when Kat and Claudia entered the room.

"I'll wait for you in the car," Mrs. Frederic said as she walked out the door. Kat nodded and turned to Leena.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," she said.

"I'm sorry for pushing the issue," Leena responded. Kat nodded awkwardly and paused for a moment before hugging Leena tightly. The older woman returned the hug just as fiercely.

"I love you, little sister," Leena whispered in her ear. Kat's eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she responded.

"I love you too, big sister." Leena kissed her forehead and walked into the kitchen. Tears ran down Kat's face almost as fast as she could wipe them away.

"You alright?" Claudia asked with a hand on her elbow.

"Yeah I'll be fine. I should go before Mrs. F gets impatient," Kat said with after a deep breath. Claudia studied her for a moment before letting go of her elbow.

"Alright. Call if you need anything," she said as Kat picked up her bag. Kat nodded and smiled at her before heading out to the car. The driver took her bag without a word and stored it in the trunk as Kat climbed in next to Mrs. Frederic. They drove off and within a few hours where at a small airstrip a couple towns over in Featherhead.

"Where are we going, Mrs. Frederic?" Kat asked curiously. The driver led them over to a small jet at the end of the strip and waited for them to enter first.

"Washington, D.C. We'll be there for three days. We'll leave our bags at our hotel, but then I have a meeting to attend and someone I need to check on after that," Mrs. Frederic answered as they boarded the jet.

"And after that?"

"After that I thought we could spend some time together. We haven't had a nice long chat since your birthday last year," Mrs. Frederic said with a soft smile. Kat smiled back. This was the side of Mrs. Frederic that she loved. The side that was gentle and vulnerable while being strong and supportive. Though they saw each other often at the Warehouse, they were hardly able to spend more than a few minutes together and even then, it was a short greeting in passing. Kat leaned back in seat and thought this over when a memory came to mind that made her laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Remember when we first met? How I thought you were a social worker they sent to take me away to a foster home?" Kat asked with a smile. Mrs. Frederic laughed at the memory.

"Like it was yesterday. You cursed at me in Russian, threw a tissue box at my head and tried to escape out the back door," she said with a broad smile.

"I didn't get very far," Kat added on. In truth, she only took five steps before Mrs. Frederic's bodyguard caught her by the sleeve. He struggled to sit her back in her chair and ended up standing behind her with his hands weighing down her shoulders as she listened to Mrs. Frederic talk.

"No you didn't," the older woman agreed.

That was one of Irene's favorite memories. It was the day that she decided she wanted to foster Kat, who at the time had only just turned 15 years old. Back then Kat went by the name Katie McLeod, the name she was given when she first entered Witness Protection. Katie was brash, rude, and a pain to deal with, according to her social worker, but Irene knew that it was just the persona Kat adopted. Despite protests from both Social Services and Kat herself, Irene signed the necessary papers to keep Kat in her life, at least for a short while. Despite the negative first impression she gave off, Kat reverted back to her true personality and slowly opened up to Irene. On her 18th birthday, Kat was told about the Warehouse and given the choice to join, which she readily accepted. It was a proud moment for Irene, but also bittersweet since she knew the risks that the agents took on a daily basis. She looked over at Kat, who had put in a pair of headphones and was staring out the window. Irene felt a pang of sadness as she realized that Kat had grown up so much while Irene was away. She had experienced the same feelings with her children and grandchildren and it made her wish that her job had allowed her to stay at home more with Kat. Kat, almost as if she sensed Irene's stare, turned to face her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she took out her headphones.

"I was just thinking about how much you've grown since you first came to live with me," Irene replied. Kat blushed and smiled bashfully.

"I haven't grown that much."

"I disagree. You've grown more than you realize, and it makes me sad that I wasn't around for most of it," Irene said softly. Kat leaned across the aisle to grab hold of her foster mother's hand.

"You were around, though. That's more than I can say for my surviving blood relatives. But I can't get too mad at them," Kat said. At Irene's raised eyebrow, Kat continued. "If they hadn't abused and abandoned me, I might have never met you or Artie and Leena or known about the Warehouse."

"You don't know that. One way or another, I believe the Warehouse would have brought you to us, but thank you for making me feel better about my role in your life," Irene said as she squeezed Kat's hand before letting go. For the next few hours, they sat quietly reading or listening to music. They touched down at a private airstrip outside of Washington, D.C. and fought rush hour traffic going into the city. When they finally made it to their hotel and had settled in, it was almost 6pm and Mrs. Frederic immediately left for her meeting. Kat took a nap and woke up just after Mrs. Frederic got back from her meeting. They ordered room service and talked about trivial things before going to bed. Kat woke up the next morning to see that bright sunlight peaking through the curtains and noticed that Mrs. Frederic was gone. She looked at the clock to see that it was almost 11am. She grabbed her room key and opened the door to see Mrs. Frederic's bodyguard standing outside the door.

"Good morning," she said politely as she walked down the hall.

"Good morning, miss. Mrs. Frederic has asked that I stay with you until she gets back," the man said with his straight face.

"Did Mrs. Frederic say when she was due to get back, Mr.…?"

"Timothy Chen. She expects to be back in time for lunch around noon," he replied.

"Alright Mr. Chen. Would you care to come to breakfast with me?" Kat asked. Chen nodded and followed Kat to the elevator. They reached the lobby and entered the dining hall to find Mrs. Frederic waiting for them at a table. She had a hand on the newspaper laying on the table next to her empty plate.

"You're late," she said as she sipped her coffee.

"You're early. Mr. Chen said you wouldn't be back until noon," Kat said with a smirk. Mrs. Frederic tried to hide her smile and failed, but hid it as she held the newspaper to read it.

"I finished everything that I needed to for the day. When you finish your breakfast we'll head out and explore," she said as she continued reading. Kat ate breakfast quickly and the ladies began exploring the area around their hotel accompanied by Mr. Chen. They walked around for hours, stopping only for lunch and to go into stores that caught their attention. Mrs. Frederic insisted on dragging Kat to a store where they sold designer clothes. Kat was reluctant to try on anything, claiming to have low self-confidence, but Mrs. Frederic insisted.

"Mrs. F, why should I get any of this? I can't afford half of these things and I never need to wear anything this nice," Kat protested as she rejected several nice shirts and skirts.

"A lady must always be prepared. Besides, just because you don't need these things doesn't mean that it isn't nice to have them," Mrs. Frederic said patiently. She handed Kat some more clothes to try on. They left the store shortly thereafter with their purchases and moved onto another part of town where evening dresses were sold. Mrs. Frederic insisted that they go in and again Kat protested, thinking it pointless.

"I can understand a little bit why I would need fancy jeans, but do I really need a fancy dress, Aunt Irene? And don't give me that preparedness crap, either," Kat asked as a store clerk came by and brought over more dresses in Kat's size.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that I want to do something nice for you? This is new for me. I never had girls running around my house and now I have you to share in this experience with me," Irene said as she stared critically at the dress Kat wore. It had thin straps and was silvery blue in color with silver gems stitched on in a swirling pattern. It was pretty, but nothing about it was particularly special.

"I'm honored that you're experiencing this with me, but I know that's not the only reason why you're doing this." Kat studied Irene's face. Her lips were slightly curved upwards and she seemed to have more pep in her step. _She really is enjoying this_ , Kat thought to herself as Irene answered her.

"There is another reason, but I'll tell you about it later tonight. The faster we find you a dress, the faster we can leave," Irene said. She went over to the rack of dresses and skimmed through them before pulling out a deep blue velvet dress. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and went down to the floor. Pinned to the back was a blue chiffon train imbedded with crystals. It was simple, yet elegant.

"Try this one on," Irene said. Kat stared at the dress for a moment before nodding and going back into the dressing room. A few moments later Kat came out in the velvet dress. It fit her perfectly, a little tight in the bodice before flaring out around her hips slightly. Kat held onto the train when she first came out, but let it flow out and once she was in front of the mirror. Since she was barefoot, the dress covered her toes a little bit and Kat pointed this out.

"We just need to get you a pair of heels to match and then it won't be so long," Irene said as she looked at Kat. Kat was smiling for once and kept her eyes on the mirror. "Do you like it?" Kat nodded her response. Her smiled disappeared as she looked at the price tag and violently shook her head no.

"It's too expensive," she said as she gathered the train in her hands. 

"Consider it an early birthday present," Irene said. Kat watched in astonishment as Irene called over the lady organizing the dresses. Kat was hurried out of the dress and persuaded to allow Mrs. Frederic pay for the dress and silver peep toe heels to go along with it. They took their bags back to the hotel and changed into nicer clothes for dinner. They arrived in a nicer part of town and entered a restaurant with a red covering over the entrance. They were escorted to a table in a secluded corner and given menus to look over.

"I know you are curious as to why I invited you to come with me on this trip. It is partly due to the disturbing dreams you have been having. Leena told me so don't bother asking how I know that," Mrs. Frederic said as Kat opened her mouth to interrupt her. The waiter brought over water and took their order before disappearing back to the main part of the restaurant. Kat watched him leave and studied her surroundings. She counted three exits, the entrance, a hallway leading to some bathrooms, and the doors to the kitchen. When she had marked these exits, she relaxed and stared at the clientele of diners around her. Some she recognized from magazine covers while others she didn't recognize, but obviously had a lot of money.

"How did you manage to get reservations here?" she asked curiously.

"I have connections now stop evading the subject. What are your dreams about?" Mrs. Frederic asked impatiently. Kat sighed and recalled her most recent dream.

"Like I told Leena, most of my recent dreams have all been memories. One was the day that Sophie and I were in London before Interpol arrested my grandmother and uncle. Another was when Sophie and I were in Witness Protection and had moved to Dallas. I had a vision of three men breaking into our house and killing Sophie." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Last night's memory was of when I was in New Orleans the day of my capture. My uncle was asking me where Sophie was, but I wouldn't tell him where she was. He left the room and let one of his men…"

"Say no more," Irene said as Kat trailed off. Irene put her hand on Kat's and squeezed it.

"Was there anything strange about these memories that you can remember?" Irene asked. Kat thought hard for a moment.

"The dream where I had the vision. Sophie and I escaped in our car and she told me to call out handler. I remember looking at Sophie and seeing her face turn into Claudia's."

"Claudia?" Irene asked in bewilderment.

"It was before Claudia used Artie to bring back Joshua. Sophie looked at me and her face morphed into Claudia's. She said knock knock and I woke up. Artie told me afterwards that Claudia said the same thing to him when she took him from the Warehouse." Kat shook her head. "It's strange. When I saw her in my dream, I expected to feel fear, but instead I felt safe, like I knew I could trust her. Then we bring her and Joshua back to the B&B and Claudia begins working for Artie and I saw what my dream was telling me. Claudia is a great person and she's done so much to help around the Warehouse. Artie's really warmed up to her, faster than when he warmed up to me."

"Interesting," Irene said. Her mind was racing. She knew that Kat received visions, but this was the first time hearing about one in person rather than through Leena. "Have you had any more visions recently?"

"No, just the memories, but even those give me a weird feeling. They make me feel uneasy, like something bad is going to happen," Kat said. The waiter brought over their food just then and they spent several minutes in silence.

"You are right to feel uneasy. Witness Protection called me earlier this week," Irene said as she attempted to enjoy her meal. The next part of the conversation was going to be unpleasant.

"Why did they call you?" Kat asked suspiciously.

"It appears that when you were captured, your uncle made arrangements to fake your death. At Sophie's insistence, the investigation was reopened a few months ago on the anniversary of your supposed death. Upon further examination, it was discovered that the girl put in your place was a prostitute with a heart defect that you never had. Federal Marshalls looked into your time with the NOPD and were led to me." 

"What did you tell them?"

"That I was your guardian, but you left when you turned 18 and it would take me some time to track you down." Kat took a moment to collect her thoughts before responding.

"What do they want from me?" she asked. She had stopped eating to focus on Irene's next words.

"They want to reunite you with Sophie. And to see if you will testify against your uncle in court." 

"Wait a minute, he's _alive_?"

"It would seem so," Irene said gravely. Kat felt sick and the color left her face.

"I have to leave the Warehouse," she said after a long while.

"Don't say that. You're not going anywhere," Irene said firmly.

"Aunt Irene if he was able to find me in Louisiana, then he'll have no trouble finding me in South Dakota. I would be putting the Warehouse in danger of being discovered and everybody could get hurt in the process." Kat was already making plans for how she would leave when Irene interrupted her thoughts.

"He's not going to find you because he's locked up, Katja. NYPD found him in a gambling house in Chinatown. That's what sparked Sophie's need to find you," Irene said with a hand on Kat's wrist. Kat's posture relaxed immensely and she slunk down a little in her seat.

"Why do they need me to testify? They have Sophie; she'll be of more use to them. I was eight years old when we were put in Witness Protection. I don't even know why we were given to the United States government. I'm still technically a Russian citizen," Kat asked. She rubbed her temples, trying to keep the headache at bay.

"Sophie isn't. She was born in Chesapeake, Maryland, not Paris, France as your grandmother had been led to believe. When they were about to put her through the program, she insisted on taking you with her as her daughter. The Marshalls didn't go against Sophie's wishes because they knew it was the best way to protect you until an impartial judge and jury could be brought together to charge your uncle," Irene said.

"And where is my grandmother in all this mess? Still in prison I hope," Kat said sarcastically.

"She has been under tight surveillance ever since your uncle first escaped five years ago. The Marshalls have assured me that she is still locked up. She will be charged alongside your uncle," Irene said calmly. The waiter came over to clear away their plates and left the check with Mrs. Frederic. She looked at the bill, placed her card inside, and gave it back to the waiter.

"So now what?" Kat asked as they put on their coats to leave. Irene didn't answer until they climbed inside the car Mr. Chen brought around.

"Now I give you the phone number of your former handler, Thomas Kane. He is the one who contacted me and I believe he will be relieved to hear from you again," Irene said. She looked at Kat's face. The young woman was staring out the window at the passing streets with a contemplative look on her face.

"You told them that we don't talk, right?" Kat asked quietly. She looked at Irene as the older woman nodded. "Good. It wouldn't do to have just anybody contacting you."

"I agree. What are you going to tell him?" Irene asked as they arrived at the hotel.

"That I want to see Sophie. That I want proof that this isn't a trick," Kat said strongly as they exited the car. Irene smiled proudly at her.

"Making sure to eliminate all possibilities before looking for the truth. You've become an excellent agent," she said with a pleased tone. Kat grinned at her.

"It was either that or go to college and find something else to occupy my time. Personally, I like running around the Warehouse better than sitting in dusty lecture hall."


	4. Chapter 4

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you get everything you want and then some! Here is Chapter 4! Read and review!

Several weeks after Kat's excursion to Washington, D.C. with Mrs. Frederic, Kat was doing inventory with Claudia. Pete and Myka had just returned from St. Louis, Missouri, where they had discovered an artifact that sucked out the electrical energy in a man's body and zapped everything in its wake. They had returned with former Warehouse agent Rebecca St. Clair, who was a character and refused to stay in the Warehouse longer than she had to. Kat didn't blame her. The Warehouse was a strange place and they all needed breaks from it from time to time.

"What did Mrs. F want to talk with you about?" Claudia asked Kat as they were putting the broken artifact in its place. Kat had avoided talking about it with anyone, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to put it off any longer.

"She bought me some really nice clothes, took me to dinner, and told me that my uncle was arrested again," Kat said as she typed in the artifact's information into the keypad.

"What do you mean again?" Claudia held out the briefcase with the artifact to Kat and watched as she put it on the shelf.

"My uncle was arrested many years ago for pimping and escaped prison. He was on the run for a while, but now he's been caught again," Kat said as they walked back towards the office.

"Yikes. Why haven't you mentioned it before?"

"It's not something I like talking about, even with everyone here. Now Mrs. F is telling me that I have to go in and speak with prosecutors about it. I don't know why, though. I was eight years old and hardly knew what he was doing so I wouldn't be much help," Kat said.

"Well, if you need someone to go with you, I'm sure I could convince Artie to let me go with you for moral support," Claudia offered. Her fingers latched onto Kat's fingers and Kat couldn't help but smile.

"I should be fine, but thank you Claud," she said, smiling gently at the younger girl. She thought she saw a hint of a blush come across Claudia's face, but Claudia looked away. Their hands remained linked until Kat's Farnsworth went off and she had to grab it.

"I need you in the office now," came Artie's quick order before he cut the call.

"Hello to you too, Artie," Kat said sarcastically as she put her Farnsworth back in her back pocket. She and Claudia hurried their pace to the office and parted ways once they reached the stairs, with Claudia heading down another aisle to continue inventory and Kat climbing the stairs to the porch outside the office. She came in the office to see Pete and Myka already there. Pete was leaning on a samurai sword as Artie came into the office from the filing room.

"Lift the point off the floor and put it down gently," Artie said nervously to Pete. Myka and Kat exchanged an amused glance as Pete gently maneuvered the sword back onto the stand where it had been resting.

"Sorry Artie, but it's really cool," Pete apologized.

"Thank you. We try," Artie said as he polished the sword with a cloth.

"You made this?" Myka asked curiously.

"In record time, too. With the help of…things," Artie said, vaguely pointing in the direction of the Warehouse. Kat watched Pete and Myka's faces with a grin.

"This is a copy of the finest samurai sword ever forged. The Honjo Masamune, owned by the ruling family in Japan for centuries before it disappeared. The real one unearthed a few weeks ago at a dig site in Okinawa," Artie explained. He handed Pete a case file that held pictures from the dig site.

"The real one. Which does what?" Myka asked.

"Which will arrive in D.C. first thing in the morning in order to be presented as a gift to the President, but it's not going to happen because you three are going to intercept it at the Japanese embassy," Artie continued his earlier explanation as he went to the wall of drawers. He opened one and pulled out three plane tickets and handed them to the three agents.

"I don't think that's what she meant," Kat said as she took her ticket from Artie.

"I know what she meant, but you've got to pack and catch a plane. And it really doesn't matter, does it, what the real sword does? Remember, "snag it, bag it, tag it?" Well, get to snagging, bagging, and tagging," Artie said. He opened the door to the umbilicus and held it open for Myka and Kat to pass through. Pete followed after them with the fake Masamune and the three drove back to the B&B. As Kat was packing for the plane, Myka came in silently and stood awkwardly by the door.

"I don't bite, Myka," Kat said without turning around.

"How did you know it was me? I was facing your back," Myka asked as she sat down on Kat's bed. Kat turned around and smirked at her.

"I have eyes in the back of my head. I have to, with Mrs. Frederic popping up all over the place," she said as she stuffed some clothes into a bag. Myka watched for a few more minutes before speaking.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why is Artie sending you with us?" Kat raised an eyebrow at the older woman. "I mean, you have no formal training and you've never come on a mission with us before so why now?"

"Hurtful," Kat said with a laugh. "Everyone brings something different to the Warehouse, right? Artie was an NSA specialist, Claudia is a reformed hacker, you are detail oriented and book smart, and Pete gets vibes that saves everybody's butts. Your Secret Service training helps you with handling the Teslas and getting unfettered access to just about anywhere, but it doesn't automatically make you a Warehouse agent. You become a Warehouse agent by taking what you bring to the table and using it on missions."

"So what do you bring to the table?"

"One of the perks of being home-schooled in the middle of nowhere South Dakota is that I had a lot of time on my hands. Most of that time was spent relearning different languages that I had forgotten when I became Mrs. Frederic's ward. My Japanese is a little rusty, but I can get by," Kat said as she finished packing.

"Mrs. Frederic is your guardian? When did that happen?" Myka asked.

"I'll tell you on the plane. I think we should go before Pete breaks something," Kat said, shouldering her bag. Myka grabbed her bag from her room and went downstairs with Kat. Pete was waiting at the table for them and Leena was sitting at the desk drawing. Kat came up behind her and hugged her. Leena jumped in surprise, but relaxed when she knew who it was.

"Don't do that. You almost gave me a heart attack," she said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I thought you could hear me," Kat apologized as she gave Leena a real hug. She broke away and saw Leena's face. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night," Leena said with a small smile.

"Maybe you should take a nap," Kat suggested as Leena pushed her towards the door.

"I will, now go on. Pete and Myka are waiting for you. Be safe," Leena said. Kat kissed her cheek before running out the door and into Pete's car.

"So Myka told me something very interesting," Pete said to Kat later. They had landed at Dulles International Airport and were waiting to get off the plane.

"And what is that?" Kat asked with a raised brow, even though she already knew what he was going to say.

"She said that Mrs. Frederic is your guardian and that you would explain on the plane, but you slept on the plane and now you're awake," Pete said with a satisfied smirk. Kat glared playfully at him. She noticed Myka was listening in on the conversation and sighed.

"My parents died when I was very young and I went to live with my grandmother and my uncle. They were arrested several years after taking me in and I moved around a lot before ending up on Aunt Irene's door," Kat explained as they got off the plane with their bags in hand. Myka and Pete looked at each other and then looked back at her.

"Sorry I asked," Pete said with a sad tone in his voice.

"Don't start the pity party. This is why I didn't tell you guys before now," Kat said as they picked up their rental car. "And I barely remember my parents, anyway. Aunt Irene is the closest thing I have to a parental figure now and I like it that way."

"Okay. We won't ask again," Myka said soothingly. Kat had started getting upset at the memory of her parents and calmed down quickly. They didn't mention it on their way to the Japanese embassy. Myka and Pete flashed their badges at the front desk and the trio was told to wait for someone to assist them.

"Lots of eyes to make the switch here. I guess night's our only option," Pete commented as they walked down the hall.

"The White House won't be any easier," Myka added.

"I'd feel a lot more comfortable doing it before it gets anywhere near the President," Pete said.

"It's ridiculous that we don't know what we're protecting him from, but typical Artie. I mean, I understand grabbing the artifact before it causes trouble, but he couldn't spare two seconds to warn us about what we're walking into?" Myka griped.

"I'm sure if it were really dangerous, Artie would have told us," Kat said, coming to Artie's defense. The three of them heard something that sounded like an explosion and then they were suddenly being pulled against a set of golden doors. Kat was knocked out by the force and lay on the ground with her eyes closed. In her mind, she saw a bomb go off and suck in whatever was close to it and a giant pile of things mixed and forced together. The blurry face of an older man was the last thing she saw before she felt someone shake her shoulder.

"Kat? Are you okay?" Kat opened her eyes and saw Myka kneeling above her next to an EMT.

"What happened?" Kat asked sluggishly.

"We don't know just yet. We're going to figure it out. Are you feeling okay? You were out for a while," Myka asked. Kat pushed away the EMT's flashlight and sat up slowly. She thanked the EMT and sent him away before turning to Myka.

"I'm fine, Myka. My head just hurts," Kat said as she stared uneasily at the door.

"Is that all that's bothering you?" Kat shook her head.

"While I was out, I saw an image of what's waiting for us in there. And it isn't pretty," she said she stood and went to open the doors, ignoring the complaints of the building staff and Myka and Pete. A security officer stepped in front of her.

"Miss I have to ask you to step back," he said with a hand in front of her.

"You need to help them. There are people still in there," Kat said as she tried to get around the officer. The officer grabbed her arms and turned her around.

"If there are people in there, then our people will get them out. Please wait with your partners," he said. He gently pushed her in Pete's direction. Pete put his arm around Kat and steered her to the bench where Myka was waiting. Pete's Farnsworth went off as they sat down.

"Tell me what's going on," Artie demanded as soon as Pete answered. Pete moved the Farnsworth so that Artie could see the chaotic movements of police officers running around the lobby. "What exactly happened there?"

"You tell us, Artie. The Japanese sure as hell don't know. They're testing for everything from dirty bombs to gas leaks," Myka said in frustration.

"This definitely wasn't a gas leak, Artie. I would know if it was," said Kat, who had begun pacing back and forth.

"They won't let us in the room," Myka continued. "They're holding us in the lobby. They're treating us like suspects."

"Suspects? Why? Did you have the decoy sword with you?" Artie asked worriedly.

"No, but they're not even looking for the sword, Artie. They're not even sure whether or not it was taken," Pete said.

"That makes no sense to me whatsoever. Either it's gone or it's not gone. You said you saw somebody leaving. Did he have it?"

"I don't know, okay. I was about two seconds away from passing out," protested Pete.

"What did this guy look like?"

"Not female," Pete struggled to get out.

"Could it have been an elderly Japanese man?" Kat asked him. Pete and Myka stared at her with confused expressions.

"Maybe. I don't know," Pete said. "Look Artie, my Japanese sucks, but it sounds to me as if they think the sword was vaporized or something."

"Kat is that what they actually said?" Myka asked.

"That's a really rough translation, but yes. They're hypothesizing that since they're still not sure what did this, it is a possibility that the sword may have been vaporized or destroyed in some way whatever caused the mess," Kat said as she stared at the crowd by the door. She was trying to pick up words or sentences that could help them make sense of the situation.

"What do you mean vaporized? By the bomb?" Artie kept asking.

"There was no bomb, Artie. Nothing blew up. There were no victims that were brought out or dead bodies. There was nothing," Myka said in frustration.

"I don't understand. Nothing blew up?"

"That's the weird part. It was like a bomb, only backwards, okay? Instead of blowing out, it yanked everything in," Pete elaborated. Artie mumbled something and Myka tried to get him to repeat it.

"Artie did the sword do this?"

"And if it did, can I reconsider this mission?" Pete asked. Kat raised a brow at him, but listened for Artie's answer.

"It didn't. And what you have to do is you have to get in that room and tell me exactly what you see," Artie said before he cut the call.

"Will he ever give us a straight answer about these artifacts?" Myka asked in frustration.

"He doesn't know what the artifacts will do half of the time or even what they are. We just need to be patient with him," Kat said in a calm tone of voice. An elderly Japanese man came towards them and Myka made Pete aware of it. He mumbled something, but Kat wasn't able to hear it.

"Mr. Ogawa, look we've answered all of your questions and now we have a few for you," Myka said as the man came over. Kat didn't know that Pete and Myka had talked to the man, but figured their exchange must have happened when she was unconscious.

"Actually, Agent Bering, I have one more. Why does the Secret Service need to send two different units to inspect the same gift?" Mr. Ogawa asked.

"Two different…?" Myka trailed off.

"I'm quite certain that they will have the same question," Mr. Ogawa said, pointing to three men standing at the opposite wall. The older man frowned in annoyance at Myka and Pete. Kat didn't recognize the men, but ignored them and turned to Mr. Ogawa.

"Ogawa-sama, we apologize for the inconvenience. We will show ourselves out," Kat said in Japanese, bowing to the older man. Mr. Ogawa looked surprised, but bowed back.

"I accept your apology. Please do not make this a habit," he responded. He walked away and Pete gave Kat a weird look.

"I had a lot of free time as a kid, but I wouldn't worry about my hobbies. We've got bigger fish to fry," Kat said as the three men walked towards them.

"Bering, Lattimer. What a surprise to see you here," the older man said dryly.

"Dickinson, we're sorry about-"

"Save it. Come with us," Dickinson said. The two men behind him followed Pete, Myka, and Kat into a car outside of the embassy. They drove off to the Secret Service headquarters and were marched into Dickinson's office.

"On the Q.T. is one thing, but you're tramping through my backyard, literally tripping over my agents, and you don't even give me a heads-up," Dickinson ranted at them. Kat felt awkward being yelled at by this man she didn't know, but she kept her mouth shut through the lecture.

"We have explicit instructions not to contact you anymore," Myka said.

"Artie Nielsen," Dickinson said as if the name was the explanation for all the trouble that had been caused.

"Look, it's not like we can't have coffee now and then. We just can't have you on speed dial," Pete said, trying to smooth things over.

"Look, I get it. For better or for worse, and I happen to think worse, you two are serving a new master. This isn't your screw-up. It was his," Dickinson said with a sigh.

"It's just that he doesn't really play well with others so much," Myka said. Dickinson nodded and scrutinized Kat.

"I'll assume you're their new partner," he said. Kat nodded once.

"Katherine Frederic. I would say pleased to meet you, but this is too awkward of a situation to say so," Kat said briskly. Dickinson raised a brow at her last name, but didn't comment on it.

"How did you get roped into this? You seem to be a little young to be working out in the field," he asked instead. Kat mimicked his raised brow and leaned back in her chair.

"Not to be rude, Agent Dickinson, but I don't know you or work for you so I don't owe you an explanation. It will be suffice to say that my areas of expertise fit the qualifications of this job, otherwise I wouldn't be here," Kat said evenly. Pete and Myka looked at her with surprise looks, but Dickinson merely smirked at her before addressing his former agents.

"I see. So, this security officer, Ogawa, Japanese embassy, is waiting for my explanation of what you three were doing and if you had anything to do with whatever the hell that was. Any suggestions what I'm supposed to tell him?" he asked. Myka and Pete stayed silent while Kat refused to say anything, since she wasn't the one who dropped the ball.

"Alright. Do me one favor. Get on a plane and leave D.C. while I can still let you. Can I at least have that?" Dickinson asked rhetorically.

"We'll be out of here as soon as possible," Pete said. The three Warehouse agents left the room quickly and ran out of the Secret Service building.

"So now what?" Myka asked once they got outside.

"Now we wait until dark and go back to the embassy to stake out the place," Kat said as she took the keys from Pete.

"Shouldn't we call Artie first?" Pete asked as he got in the passenger seat. Myka climbed in the middle seat and leaned forward to be part of the conversation.

"Don't bother. We'll be hearing from Artie soon anyway," Kat said as she navigated through D.C.'s mid-day traffic.

"So about the man that I saw, how did you know that it was an elderly Japanese man?" Pete asked while they were stopped at a light.

"It wasn't hard to guess. We were surrounded by old Japanese men that could have easily gained access into that room," Kat said with a blank face.

"What about after you woke up? You said that you knew what the inside looked like. How do you know that? Do you know what happened?" Myka asked. Kat bit her lip and shook her head.

"Now I see why Dickinson likes you guys so much," she mumbled. Pete and Myka shared a confused look before turning back to Kat.

"When I was three, I had a dream that someone broke into our house and took my grandmother's tea set. Three days later, the front door had been jimmied open and that same tea set that I had seen was gone. The same thing happened when I was five. I dreamt that my parents were being stabbed to death. A week later, armed intruders came into our house and killed my parents. I was watching from the closet," Kat said with a heavy sigh. "Ever since I can remember I've had visions about things to come and I've always listened to them. They've helped save my life and the lives of others, for the most part."

"You're saying you have precognition," Myka said.

"Doesn't that only happen with ghosts and stuff like that?" Pete asked.

"That's what the term is generally associated with, but the blanket definition is the foreknowledge of an event. Me knowing how my parents are going to die, isn't that a bit paranormal?" Kat stated as she drove around.

"So you had a vision of the room and someone coming from it while you were passed out?" Myka asked. She was trying to figure it out in her head, but it was only giving her a headache.

"Yes, but I wouldn't think about it too much, Myka. At least, not on an empty stomach," Kat said as she pulled into the parking lot of a small diner. "It's lunchtime and this place has the best cheesesteaks outside of Philly." The diner wasn't very impressive on the outside, with its faded silver paint and broken sign.

"How did you find this place?" Myka asked.

"Mrs. Frederic took me to D.C. some weeks back on an errand and I ended up eating here while she was at a meeting. Let's go in. I'm hungry," Kat said. The trio went inside and ordered food. They reviewed the information that they knew until their meals had arrived. Pete wolfed his down while Kat and Myka took their time with their food.

"So, are your visions like my vibes? Do they give you feelings or just pictures?" Pete asked as he drank his soda. Kat swallowed the bite of cheesesteak that she had been chewing before answering his question.

"It depends. The future isn't set in stone so the decisions of the people involved in the visions weigh heavily on the outcome. More often than not, I get pictures with feelings in the background, like an afterthought. For instance, when I saw the image of the old man leaving the room, his face was blurry. The emotions that came with this one were fear and familiarity. That tells me one of two things, the most probable being that he didn't make the decision to go in the room until the very last moment, which in that case makes it a miracle that I saw him at all," Kat explained.

"What's the other thing?" Myka asked as she picked through her salad.

"That he wasn't intended to be there at all. That someone else wanted to be there, but chose him to do it before shit hit the fan. But like I said, the first option is the more probable one," Kat said.

"Can you force yourself to have a vision?" Pete asked as he flagged the waitress down. He asked for their checks and turned his attention back to Kat.

"I've done it many times. At first, it gave me migraines that left me in bed for days, but the more I did it, the easier it became and the clearer the visions got. Now I just get the occasional headache."

"What do you see in my future?" Pete asked with excitement. Kat rolled her eyes, but stared at him as if she were searching for something. Kat could the familiar pull in her brain that came before a vision and relaxed her body to receive it. When the picture was gone, she closed her eyes and rubbed them tiredly.

"Pete I don't know why, but I saw you and Myka in handcuffs. And not the kind with pink fuzz on the rim." 

"Handcuffs?" Myka asked incredulously.

"I tried searching for an answer, but all I got was the image of you guys sitting the back of a car in handcuffs," Kat explained.

"When that happens, I'm blaming you, Pete," Myka said jokingly. They went back to their hotel and stayed there until it got dark. They drove back over to the Japanese embassy where there were still workers milling around the entrance.

"I don't think this is what Dickinson had in mind," Myka said forlornly as she watched from the passenger seat. Pete had driven to the embassy, leaving Kat in the back with a pair of binoculars.

"Well, what are we going to do? We've got to get into that room. A room that's losing evidence as we speak," Pete said in frustration.

"I know. It's just, I thought coming back to D.C. would feel like old home week or something," Myka said defensively.

"Home is overrated." Artie looked in the car through the window as Pete and Myka jumped in surprise.

"It took you long enough. They've been moving about for a while now, but still no sign of whatever is in that room," Kat said as she opened the car.

"What are you doing here?" Myka asked.

"I had a hunch about something from Pete's description and I just need to see this with my own eyes," Artie explained as he got situated.

"Kat did you know that Artie would be coming?" Pete asked.

"I didn't have a vision if that's what you're asking, but I knew he would show up at some point and here he is," Kat explained as she focused the binoculars on the embassy once more.

"Now that we have all been brought up to speed, do you have a plan to get in there?" Artie asked, gesturing towards the embassy. Myka and Pete started talking at the same time about different ideas they had thought of while Kat just sat back and watched them struggle.

"Alright I get the idea. If I may, put these on. Really, or you'll be of no use to me," Artie said as he handed the agents goggles and exited the car with a yellow firework in his hand. "This is a 14th century Chinese firework known as an Ice Flower. There are very few like it left. Now, do not tell Mrs. Frederic that I did this, alright?" Artie lit the firework and they all watched as a ball of light shot into the sky and began spinning in circles. Kat saw everyone outside the embassy stare up at the firework in awe.

"Alright. We've got about ten minutes, more or less," Artie said as they ran into the embassy.

"Artie how does that thing work?" Kat asked as they neared the door.

"The light pattern triggers a feedback in the optic nerve that mesmerizes the viewer. They won't remember a thing," Artie responded. As they opened the doors to the sealed off room, Kat's stomach churned at the sight that awaited them. In the center of the room was every unattached item sucked into a box of some kind.

"This was made by an implosion grenade. It removes matter from the center of a space and pulls everything directly towards it with violent force," Artie said.

"It makes me think of a demented puzzle with pieces that don't quite fit," Kat said mostly to herself.

"This explains why they couldn't find the sword. It could be in there," Myka hypothesized.

"No. The sword is long gone. Stolen. This was used by the thief as a cover," Artie said confidently.

"So the guy Pete saw leaving must have stolen the sword and hidden in that room over there when he set off the bomb," Kat said, pointing to the room Pete was standing by.

"I collected these grenades years ago. Every last one of them. I know I did," Artie mumbled in confusion.

"So wait, whoever stole the sword has other things that belong in the Warehouse, which would mean that we have competition," Pete said.

"I don't know," Artie said uncertainly.

"Artie just how long is this list of things we don't know?" Myka asked impatiently.

"I don't know. About twice as long as the list of things that I don't know about, alright?"

"Who else would have the implosion grenades if you collected them all?" Pete asked. Kat had started moving around the giant mass and found an arm sticking out of the side. She paled and motioned for Myka to join her.

"Well whoever it is, if he's willing to use this to cover his tracks, then it's somebody that's… what's a darker word for dangerous?" Artie said as the two women stared at the arm.

"If he did this to steal the sword, he'd have no trouble killing anyone who got in his way," Myka said as she shined her flashlight on the arm. Artie and Pete heard the strange tone in her voice and walked to where she and Kat were standing.

"None at all," Artie said grimly. Kat looked at her watch and sprinted for the door.

"The Ice Flower wears off in two minutes. We should leave before then," she said hurriedly. The four of them piled into the rental car and drove back to the hotel, where Artie grumbled about the price and size of the room they had rented. As he searched through the phone book for a name address, Artie explained the properties of the sword and how it could make the wielder invisible. Myka pointed out that there was a piece of the sword that was missing and Artie sent her and Pete off to look for the missing piece.

"So who are we going to see exactly?" Kat asked as she hopped into the driver's seat.

"An old contact from my earlier days. Well, not really a contact. This guy had been making these grenades and selling them to whoever paid and I had to shut him down," Artie said as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"So should we expect a warm welcome or gunfire?" Kat asked cautiously.

"Well it's always good to be prepared for the worst," Artie said vaguely.

"That doesn't make me feel better, Artie," Kat said with a glare in his direction. He ignored the look and directed her to an electronics store located 10 minutes away from their hotel. Kat parked around the corner and reached into the back to grab her Tesla from her bag and followed Artie into the store while keeping the gun hidden under her coat. When they reached the door, Kat aimed her Tesla and went inside first with Artie in the doorway. It was a small, dark space, not even worth the title of "store." It looked more like a tiny workshop with all the tools and various machine parts strewn about the place. After a moment when no one attacked her, Kat put her Tesla away and motioned for Artie to come inside.

"Hello?" Artie called out. He went into the main portion of the workshop and froze at the sight of clothes lying in a heap on the floor. Thick mounds of dust were poring out of every hole seen with the clothes.

"Artie what's wrong?" Kat asked, almost bumping into him. Artie pointed to the pile on the floor.

"That is what's left of the man who made those grenades. You should have kept your promises, Erik," he said, speaking directly to the pile. His Farnsworth started buzzing and he set his bag down on to answer it.

"The tsuba, did you find it?" he asked, referring to the missing piece.

"It took some digging, but it turns out an antiques dealer had it in Tokyo in the 1920's," came Pete's response.

"Now it's here in Washington. Artie, it's at the Secret Service," Myka cut in. Kat looked at the Farnsworth in confusion.

"What the hell is it doing there?" she asked as she looked over Artie's shoulder.

"The Japanese government presented it in the 1920's to Woodrow Wilson as a symbol of peace. And the curator at the Wilson Museum of Peace made the connection a couple of days ago and offered it to be united with the sword at the gift ceremony," Myka explained. Artie started wandering around the workshop looking and picking up items as he listened.

"But freaky explosions tend to put the Kibosh on ceremonies, so it's going back to the museum in the morning," Pete finished.

"The sword and the tsuba in D.C. at the same time. No, that's too much coincidence," Artie said distractedly. He moved a rag out of his way and picked up the plans for the implosion grenade and studied them as Myka kept talking.

"We're sitting on the Secret Service building. If this thief is coming to get the tsuba, we have to warn Dickinson."

"Absolutely not!"

"Artie you saw what this guy is willing to do," Pete complained.

"And so did you. And imagine what he's capable of with the sword. This thief is ruthless and smart so if you warn the Secret Service and they do anything out of the ordinary then he will be ticked off," Artie said.

"So you want to use him as bait?" Pete summed up. Myka protested profusely and Artie retaliated until something caught his eye. Kat, who had gone to crouch down by the pile of ash, looked over to Artie and saw where he was looking at. Underneath the table was a small pack of pink chewing gum. Kat watched blankly as Artie picked it up with a rag and stared at it. Artie looked at it closer under a light and mumbled something under his breath.

"Artie what's wrong?" Kat asked as she stood up.

"I think I know who this is and I've got to go. You tail the agents, grab the tsuba, and watch out for implosion grenades. Good-bye," Artie said hurriedly as he ended the call with Pete and Myka.

"Artie are you going to tell me what's going on?" Kat asked as they went back out to the car.

"What's going on is you are going back to the hotel and you're going to stay put until I say otherwise," Artie said bluntly as he stared out the window.

"What? No! Whatever it is that you're about to do, I want in on it," Kat exclaimed as she drove away from the store.

"You can't be there with me this time. I need to see someone who might have answers and she can be difficult."

"Is she normally like that or is that just your affect on women?" Kat snapped at him.

"That's why I don't want to bring you. You get defensive and lash out at people and the matter we'll be talking about is delicate and requires more tact," Artie said with a glare.

"I'm defensive because I want to help and you're making it difficult for me to understand why you're pushing me away, but fine," Kat said as she parked the car and got out. She didn't speak to him as they went up to their room and waited for news from Pete and Myka.

The Farnsworth was buzzing in her ear. Kat opened her eyes and groaned. She was curled up in the chair by the hotel phone and there was a pain in her back. Kat rubbed her eyes and looked to the source of the noise. The Farnsworth was right next to her head, but that wasn't the source of the sound. Kat looked around and noted in surprise that Artie wasn't there. She ignored the detail and reached for her phone, which had been in her jacket that was carelessly thrown on the bed.

"Frederic," she said blearily into the phone.

"You finally decided to pick up. I've been trying to call you for half an hour now," came Daniel Dickinson's voice. Kat immediately sat up straighter.

"Mr. Dickinson how did you get this number?"

"I got it from Bering's phone. Are you awake now, Sleeping Beauty?" Kat put the phone on speaker and changed out of her wrinkled clothes.

"Was is it you called for?" she asked as she pulled a new shirt over her head.

"I have Lattimer and Bering in custody," Dickinson said simply. Kat sighed at his annoyed tone.

"You're at the museum, aren't you?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yes and what I want to know is why the hell are my two former agents following us?"

"I didn't order them to follow you so don't get mad with me. I'll be there in 10 minutes to pick them up," Kat said in exasperation. She put on jeans and was about to pull on socks when Dickinson's words made her pause.

"This had better be the last time. This makes the Secret Service look bad and it puts me in a bad spot, since I'm the only one who knows what their new line of work is. If this happens again, I'm putting them on a plane and sending them home."

"Do you really think they're going to just let you take them to the airport?" Kat asked sarcastically. She hurried to pull on her socks and boots before grabbing her coat and leaving the room.

"I'll send two of my guys to make sure they get on that plane. I don't care if you continue your investigation, but the moment they cross paths with my agents, people start to talk. If Bering and Lattimer can't fill me in on what it is that's so dangerous, then I can't help them," Dickinson said hotly.

"Like I said, I wasn't the one who ordered them to tail you. I'll pass the message along to Artie, but don't expect a change," Kat said as she ran down to the parking garage.

"Make sure that you do. They'll be released in a few minutes," Dickinson said. He hung up and Kat immediately called Artie on the Farnsworth, but he didn't pick up. Kat cursed him and Dickinson on the way to the museum, speeding like crazy. She arrived at the museum and quickly turned the car off before running inside. She followed the sound of raised voices and headed in that direction, running into the two agents from the embassy.

"Oh look, it's the other archives agent," one said sarcastically. Kat glared at him and the temperature in the room dropped by 10 degrees.

"One more word from you and I'll take your gun and shoot you in the liver," she threatened as she walked past them. The two agents glared at her retreating figure, but didn't make a motion to stop her. Kat walked into a room attached to the kitchen where she saw Dickinson leaving a manila folder in front of Myka and exiting into another room.

"He's a grade A pain in my ass, you know?" Kat asked as she leaned against the doorframe. Pete and Myka looked up at her in surprise.

"Hey. When did you get here?" Pete asked as they stood. Kat looked at the handcuffs Pete tried to hide with his hands and shook her head.

"Just now. Let's go," she said and walked away. She heard the two hurry to catch up to her and slowed her pace a little.

"How did you know where we were?" Myka asked Kat as they walked outside.

"Dickinson called me. He said he got my number from your phone, actually," Kat said with an accusatory glare at the older woman. Myka looked affronted, but said nothing under the weight of the glare. "I don't blame you, but he woke me up so I am a little cranky. What's in the folder?"

"We'll explain when we get back to the hotel," Pete said gravely. Kat raised a brow at that, but nodded and got in her car. They met back at the hotel and opened the folder, which held pictures and files on Artie. Kat read over a document with the title "Suspected Espionage" and sighed deeply. She didn't pay attention as Myka took a call and Pete and Myka started arguing.

"Guys, if Dickinson gave you this file, then someone must have told him about Artie. Someone wants Artie taken out of the game," Kat said suddenly. They turned to her.

"You think this is a game?" Pete asked tensely.

"No, but think about it. We're running in circles looking for someone who knows about the Warehouse and what we keep there. Artie isn't thinking straight right now. If that person were smart enough to contact Dickinson and Artie went after the tsuba, then Artie could be in Secret Service custody right now," Kat explained.

"So Artie wouldn't be arrested for theft, but for treason," Myka added.

"Exactly," Kat said, pulling out her phone. She dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Are you still awake, Mr. Secret Service agent?" she asked sarcastically when she heard Dickinson answer.

"Yeah so what do you want?" he asked impatiently.

"I know you have Artie. Is he with you?" Kat asked sweetly.

"He's being held in interrogation," Dickinson replied with a sigh.

"Great. We'll come get him in the morning," Kat said before she hung up.

"Why are we waiting to go get Artie?" Pete asked as he watched Kat take off her shoes.

"Because I'm still mad at him for not sharing this with me," Kat said darkly. She took her sleepwear and toiletries into the bathroom, not aware of Pete and Myka's incredulous gazes.

"Just tell us the charges aren't true. We all know so just tell us," Pete said pleadingly to Artie. It was the next morning and Pete and Myka were in an interrogation room with Artie while Kat was making coffee.

"I can't. They're true. I had my reasons," Artie said plainly. Kat walked in and sat down next to Myka.

"Somebody should be arrested for making this sludge they call coffee," she said with a look of distaste towards her cup.

"Artie, Homeland Security's coming to pick you up. You need to give us a way to help you now," Pete continued, ignoring Kat's remark.

"You need to concentrate on the mission, not worry so much about me. Mrs. Frederic fixed this once and she can fix it again," Artie said. He trailed off and a glazed look came over his face.

"This whole thing could've been avoided if you just told us anything about the sword, the tsuba, your past. Anything, Artie, we could've helped. We could have run interference with Dickinson if you just trusted us," Myka said insistently.

"So what happens now, Artie? What happens with the Warehouse? Are we in charge? I think we should know," Pete said in confusion.

"Even if Artie was given the boot, I would be in charge since I've been at this longer than you have," Kat said, sipping her coffee.

"You're not old enough to buy alcohol in this country," Pete complained. Kat glared at him.

"Instead of focusing on that small detail, we should worry more about why we're here," she said. She looked over at Artie and saw that he was mumbling under his breath.

"You're right, Kat," Artie said from where he and Myka had been bickering. "Mrs. Frederic had all my records expunged so someone must have dug them back up. The key to all this: someone gave Dickinson my file and who. Find out, that'll take you directly to who has the sword and that will lead you to McPherson."

"Who?" the three of them asked. Dickinson chose that moment to open up the door and usher them out of the room.

"Now I may not be your boss anymore, but until someone tells me otherwise I outrank you. I'm putting you on a plane with your best friends as an escort," Dickinson said to them. The three looked over where the two agents from earlier were talking with Mr. Ogawa from the Japanese embassy.

"Why is he here?" Myka asked.

"The Japanese want their tsuba back. With the sword gone, it's all that's left of a national treasure. They're leaving tonight for Japan. By tomorrow the tsuba will be on the other side of the planet," Dickinson explained. Kat paled and shared a look with Artie, who had been listening the entire time.

"Just out of curiosity, who did give you that file on Artie?" Myka asked. Dickinson quickly glanced at Ogawa and hesitated.

"That's my secret to keep," he said. He called over the two agents and had them escort Pete and Myka out of the building.

"Ogawa gave you the file, didn't he?" Kat asked as she and Dickinson watched them leave.

"Yes," Dickinson said simply.

"And he didn't mention who gave it to him?"

"No."

"Hmm. So why am I still here?" Kat followed him into his office.

"Why don't you explain to me how it is that you got involved in all of this?" Dickinson asked as they sat down at his desk.

"Why the sudden interest?" Kat asked suspiciously.

"Humor me," he said simply. Kat sat back in her chair and studied him before answering.

"Mrs. Frederic took me in when I was younger and saw that I had an interest in the work. I've been there ever since." 

"And you never wanted to get out and try something else?" Dickinson asked conversationally.

"Sometimes, but I like what I do now and I don't think I need a change. Why do you ask?" Kat asked with a blank look on her face.

"You're still young and it won't turn out well for you if you're caught up in this. You need to start thinking about other career paths," Dickinson said as he typed away on his computer.

"You're offering me a job?" Kat asked in surprise.

"I'm offering you a chance to get a better education."

"School. Nope. I'll pass," Kat said immediately.

"Why not?" Dickinson asked with a raised brow.

"I tried public school once. I missed 20 days of school and still passed with a 4.5 GPA. The work was like child's play. I highly doubt college will be much better." Kat crossed her arms and looked at Dickinson expectantly.

"Give it some thought. I could help you get into any college that you want," he offered.

"It almost sounds as if you care. Why? I won't ask you again."

"This," Dickinson said plainly. He turned around his computer screen and showed Kat an online newspaper article displaying pictures of a house burning down. Kat frowned when she saw her frame being dragged out of the building.

"You've had a rough time up until now. I want to help you create a better future for yourself," Dickinson said softly. Kat peeled her eyes away from the screen and looked out the window, trying to compose herself.

"I appreciate your concern, Agent Dickinson, but most of my experiences with law enforcement have left a bitter taste in my mouth. They made grand promises that lead to more pain and suffering on my part," Kat said. Her Russian accent started to leak out and Dickinson looked at her in confusion. "Coming to this country was a way out of my past, but by involving myself with my organization I have put the lives of my coworkers in danger, of which they have no idea. Why would I willingly go to a university where thousands of innocent students could possibly get dragged into my personal issues?"

"Whoever you claim to be or whoever you were, we can protect you," Dickinson said firmly. Kat smiled and stood from her seat.

"I know you can, but I can protect myself as well, if not better because of the information I hold. I would rather not be tossed around the government system again wondering if I'll live to see another day." She walked to the door and went to leave, but turned back to the older man. "You are a good agent, Dickinson, but you know you can't spare men or call in favors for one girl. I am grateful for your offer, make no mistake about that." With that, she walked back to the interrogation room where Artie sat.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked roughly. Kat smiled at him and gripped his hand.

"I'll wait with you until Mrs. Frederic comes to get us," she said simply. A couple of agents walked in the room and started glaring at Artie. Kat leaned in closer to Artie.

"I think the Japanese security head is responsible for all this," she whispered in Russian. Artie looked at her in confusion as his brain worked out the reasons for the statement. Kat waited patiently and nodded in confirmation when he figured out the problem.

"No talking," said one of the agents. Kat frowned at him, but leaned away from Artie. They sat awkwardly in that room until Mr. Chen, Mrs. Frederic's bodyguard, entered with release papers. He smiled faintly at Kat and then turned serious to hand over the papers to the younger agent.

"Who is Mrs. Frederic?" asked the man as Mr. Chen took off Artie's handcuffs.

"I'd tell you, but then he'd have to kill you," Artie said, pointing to Mr. Chen. Kat and Artie followed Mr. Chen outside where Mrs. Frederic's car was waiting for them. Her face softened looking at Kat, but hardened once more as she looked at Artie.

"I'll just wait out here," Kat said as the driver opened the door. Artie glared at her and stepped inside the car.

"How are you today, Mr. Chen?" Kat asked pleasantly to the tall Asian man.

"I'm doing well, Ms. Frederic. And yourself?" he replied politely.

"I've had better days, but thanks for asking," Kat said with a sigh. She turned around in confusion as Artie exited the car and turned back around for his bag. "That's my cue. Good-bye, Mr. Chen."

"Are you going to tell me where I'm driving to?" Kat asked later as Artie directed her through traffic.

"The airport. If the Japanese are leaving tonight with the tsuba and if Ogawa is the mole like you think, then McPherson won't be too far behind," Artie explained.

"And if we see McPherson, what do you plan to do?" Artie stayed quiet, but gave her a long look that Kat understand well. They didn't speak until they found the hangar where Ogawa's plane was held.

"I'll stay out here and wait for Pete and Myka," Kat said as they got out of the car. Artie nodded gratefully towards her and went inside. Kat paced around anxiously until Pete and Myka arrived a few minutes later.

"He's inside. I haven't heard anything since he went in," Kat said to them. The three went inside to see a man running away and Artie kneeling on the floor with the sword stuck through his shoulder.

"We have to get you to a hospital. What did you do to yourself?" Myka asked as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"Well it was the only way I knew how to get the sword," Artie moaned.

"We can discuss other ways later, but it's safe to say that this one was stupid," Kat said.

"What if we didn't get here in time? Or if Kat couldn't hear you screaming?" Myka asked.

"I thought you would so could we just hurry up and pull it out," Artie said panting.

"Wait a minute are you sure?" Pete asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it's the sharpest sword ever made. It should slide out just like butter. Just do it really fast," Artie pleaded. He cried out as Pete pulled the sword free and Myka started panicking a little. Kat heard a noise and turned around to see a small cylinder roll out from under the plane.

"Guys, is that one of those…" Kat asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Artie said shortly. The four of them ran out of the hangar and made it safely outside before the grenade went off the hangar imploded on itself.

"Can we go home now?" Kat asked from her place on the ground. Pete nodded and clapped her on the shoulder.

"Maybe we should get Artie's shoulder looked at first."


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everybody! Here is Chapter 5!

" _Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Katja, happy birthday to you!" It was Katja's 13_ _th_ _birthday and she and Sophie were still living in Dallas. Despite being given fake birthdays by Witness Protection, the only birthdays that they celebrated were the original days. Katja had trudged down to the kitchen table where Sophie sat with a big stack of red velvet pancakes decorated with 13 candles. Katja's face broke out into a wide smile and she tackled Sophie with a hug._

" _Thank you Sophie," Kat said happily. Sophie kissed her head fondly._

" _You're welcome, Kitten," she said as she returned the hug. Though she was almost as tall as Sophie, Kat climbed onto Sophie's lap._

" _You're getting a little big for that, don't you think?" Sophie asked jokingly. Kat stuck her tongue out at her and Sophie did the same before kissing her cheek. "Make a wish, Kitten." Kat stared at the candles for a few minutes before blowing out the candles._

" _That took a while. What did you wish for honey?" Sophie asked as she took the candles off the pancakes and waved away the smoke._

" _I wished we wouldn't have to move again. I like it here," Kat said longingly. Sophie stroked Kat's head._

" _The Marshalls move us to keep us safe, but I agree with you," she said with a sad smile. A second later she remembered something and gently pushed Kat off of her lap._

" _Sophie where are you going?" Kat called out. Sophie disappeared for a few minutes and came back with the TV on a rolling cart._

" _I have something that I think will cheer you up," Sophie said triumphantly. Kat ate her pancakes as Sophie hooked the TV to the wall socket and put a tape in the VCR. After fiddling with the remote and a few curses, the screen turned on and up came a still frame of Elena, Kat's mom._

" _Mama?" Kat asked softly. Sophie struggled to hide her smile and pressed play._

" _Pietro, be quiet. We don't want to wake her," Elena said to the camera in Russian. Pietro, Kat's father, laughed quietly and followed his wife down a dim hallway, holding the camera high enough to see over Elena's head. They came to the end of the hall and quietly opened the door with the letter K on it. The floor was nearly covered in toys and clothes, but somehow Elena made it to the bed without stepping on anything. In the center of the room was a twin bed that held the sleeping 4-year-old Katja curled up in her blankets. Elena sat on the bed and gently shook Kat's shoulder._

" _Kitten? Wake up, sweetie," she said softly. 4-year-old Kat's eyes opened slowly and she smiled as she saw her parents._

" _Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Katja, happy birthday to you," sang Pietro and Elena as Pietro pulled out a box tied in blue wrapping paper. Katja eagerly tore apart the paper and opened the box to pull out a pair of ice skates. Sophie stopped paying attention to the tape and looked at Kat, who had a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Sophie leaned over to hug Kat and they watched the rest of the tape for the rest of the morning._

Kat woke up with a smile on her face. That was one of the few nights when she didn't have nightmares and it was beautiful. She looked over at her window and sat the sky turning lighter with the coming of the sun. Kat sat up in bed and stretched before getting up to go to the window. She climbed up to the roof and sat there until the sun was just barely over the horizon before going back in her room to take a shower. She stepped out of the shower and put on a low cut blue top, skinny jeans, and blue flats. Kat detangled her hair and let it hang loose as she walked downstairs. She walked into the sunroom to see Leena, Claudia, Myka, and Pete standing around the table. They were bent over something on the table and didn't notice Kat's approach.

"Good morning," Kat said. They all turned around and smiled at her.

"Happy birthday Kat!" they yelled at her. Kat started laughing as they rushed at her and engulfed her in a massive hug.

"Thank you guys," she said as they broke away. Leena guided her to the table where a tall stack of red velvet pancakes waited for her. Kat froze at the sight and stared at Leena in confusion.

"I remember you saying that you love red velvet cake so I decided to make red velvet pancakes," Leena said. Kat looked at the pancakes and opened her mouth to speak, but was distracted by Pete running to the kitchen and back.

"We can't forget candles," he said. He had two candles in his hand, shaped like the numbers 1 and 2. He placed the 2 in front of the 1 and lit them with a pocket lighter.

"Make a wish, Kat," Myka said in excitement. Kat nodded and waited a minute to blow out her candles. She heard applause behind her and sat in the chair to pick off the candles.

"Kat, you okay?" Claudia asked with a hand on Kat's shoulder.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're crying. Is everything alright?" Claudia asked. She sat in the chair next to Kat's and waited for her answer. Kat didn't even realize she was crying until Claudia pointed it out. She touched her face and laughed when she felt wet streaks going down her chin.

"I'm not sad, I'm happy. The last time someone made me red velvet pancakes was on my 13th birthday. I was just reminded of that, is all," Kat said as she wiped her face dry.

"Happy tears are okay. As long as there's nothing making you sad I'm okay with it," Claudia said as she cut into a pancake and stabbed some pieces onto a fork. "Open wide. Here comes the airplane." Claudia stuck the fork with pancakes in Kat's open mouth and the two women laughed at their antics. They chatted while Kat finished her breakfast and got their things together to drive over to the Warehouse.

"Morning, Artie," Kat said as they entered the office. Artie grunted in response and kept typing away at his computer. Kat rolled her eyes and watched in amusement as Artie pointed to the pegboard. She walked to the spot he pointed at and saw a white envelope pinned to the board with her name on it. Kat opened it and pulled out a set of car keys.

"Artie what is this?" she asked. Artie looked at her over his shoulder.

"Exactly what it looks like. Mrs. Frederic says happy birthday," he said as he turned back to his work. Kat was stunned, but ran outside and saw a dark grey Toyota Rav4 that she hadn't noticed when they pulled up. She smiled and ran back inside to hug Artie tightly. He tried to run away, but gave in and hugged her back before sending her away to do inventory. Kat ran down the stairs to bring out her bike and cart before speeding around the Warehouse floor with a checklist in the cart. She went down the aisles checking and rechecking artifacts that she and Artie had bagged before running into Claudia.

"Can I give you a ride, little miss?" Kat asked in a British accent. Claudia started laughing at the sight of the cart and curtseyed.

"Why thank you," she said in the same accent. She climbed in the cart and laughed as Kat drove her to the next aisle over for the next artifact on her list. The pair went around checking artifacts like this until they saw bright flashing lights and heard disco music. Claudia started dancing and Kat just shook her head.

"That'll be the Studio 54 disco ball. Come on, Boogie Wonderland, we should go see if they broke anything," Kat said sarcastically. Claudia stuck her tongue out at her.

"You're just mad because I can dance and you can't," she said as she climbed back in the cart.

"Oh I can dance. I just hate disco," Kat said as she got on the bike. Kat pedaled fast and hard to find the source of the lights and music. She and Claudia made found Pete holding up a large mirror and Myka sitting on the floor next to him. Artie and Leena came to the scene from another aisle and Artie immediately went to Myka.

"Myka are you okay? What's going on?" he asked with worry. Myka looked at him blankly and walked off.

"Ask him," she said emotionlessly. Kat looked at Myka as she walked away and looked back at the mirror with suspicion.

"I didn't realize we had Lewis Carroll's mirror," she said to Artie, who ignored her and looked at Pete for an explanation. After Artie yelled at Pete for playing with artifacts again, they all went back to work. Kat and Claudia continued to bike around the Warehouse for the rest of the morning, singing songs and making jokes about Artie.

"How does it feel? Knowing that you can legally buy your own whiskey now?" Claudia asked as Kat drove them home in her new car.

"Well, now I don't have to beg Leena to buy it for me, which is a plus. Other than that, I don't really feel different," Kat said as she laughed.

"You're not even a little excited?" Claudia asked dubiously.

"Of course I'm excited. I can legally get drunk if I want to and no one can arrest me," Kat said, laughing harder. Claudia shook her head at Kat and let her laugh. They arrived at the B&B in time for lunch and ate quickly. As Kat washed dishes, Claudia disappeared with Pete and Leena made some tea for Myka. Kat couldn't hear their conversation, but studied Myka's face while they spoke. It hadn't been more than a few hours since the disco ball went off, but something about Myka seemed different and it was bothering Kat. She finished the dishes quickly and went to sit at the table just as Artie arrived with a case and bakery goods. Claudia and Pete came in soon after with Claudia griping about a game that she had been playing.

"Gary and Jillian Whitman, aka, more aliases than they would care to mention. They are small-time thieves who have inexplicably hit the big-time," Artie began the intro to the case. Claudia and Pete began to fight again over the game and Myka snapped at them.

"Let's let Artie get through this so we can just not be here any longer than necessary, alright?" she said with a slight chuckle. Claudia and Pete looked at her with stunned disbelief while Kat simply raised a brow at her words.

"Thank you very much, Myka. Much appreciated," Artie said with surprise.

"You're welcome," Myka said sweetly. Kat's eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs. With Myka's near-constant moods at Artie this past week, this reaction was a complete 180 from how she was this morning. Myka looked at Kat with a question on her face and Kat just shook her head like there was nothing wrong.

"So what is this artifact?" Myka asked curiously.

"It's unconfirmed, but if there is one, it's given these two an unbelievable amount of luck; the kind that defies all laws of probability. They've had winning streaks in Miami, Detroit, and Atlantic City and not one single gaming commission alarm bell has been tripped," Artie answered.

"So they're high rollers who stay under the radar?" Kat summed up. They all stared at her with confusion. "I wasn't born yesterday. I know how gambling works."

"And more on that later. They're taking a little bit back from the house. What's the big deal?" Pete asked in an easy manner.

"Iniquitous hands with the means to exploit fate," Artie emphasized.

"Iniquitous means bad," Claudia faux whispered to Pete.

"Thanks, Roget," he said sarcastically.

"So where are they now?" Myka asked as she ate a Danish muffin. Kat's eye twitched at the action. _Myka almost never eats sweets…_

"Three hours ago, they checked into room 1510 at the Maximus Hotel in Las Vegas. I've also prepared a rundown of possible artifacts that are still in the wild that might be responsible. And there's also plane tickets and reservations for the Maximus and all that stuff," Artie explained as he handed Pete and Myka files with more information.

"Artie, can I go with them?" Kat asked excitedly.

"Not a chance. I need you here. You can go another time," Artie said immediately. Kat pouted and sat back in her chair. Artie hesitated for a moment when he saw her face, but was distracted by Myka.

"Where's the money?"

"What?" Artie asked in confusion.

"Well, we need to roll high," came Myka's explanation.

"There's $10,000 in Pete's envelope," Artie pointed to Pete. The field agents smiled in excitement as Pete pulled out the money. Artie ushered Pete and Myka away as Kat put the bakery goods away in the kitchen and put the tea cups in the sink to be washed later. She heard raised voices and saw Artie stalking off leaving a seated Claudia who mildly scared.

"What was that about?" Kat asked, staring after Artie.

"I offered to help with the McPherson thing, but he doesn't want me digging into it. Don't even worry about it," Claudia said as she saw the frown on Kat's face. She knew the older girl could get protective and didn't want to be the cause of an argument between Kat and Artie.

"As long as you're okay," Kat said as she smoothed Claudia's hair back from her face. Claudia blushed and nodded quickly before getting up.

"Yup. Totally fine. We can go now," she said as she grabbed her bag and ran for the door. Kat smirked in triumph and nearly ran into Leena on her way out.

"You shouldn't tease her like that," Leena said in a faux stern voice. Kat shrugged.

"She won't ever respond to me that way, anyway. What's the harm in having a little fun once in a while?" Kat asked devilishly. Leena rolled her eyes and handed her her coat before following Kat out to her car.

"Eventually you're going to have to tell her why you torture her so much," Leena said patiently.

"I was going to tell them all after Pete and Myka get back," Kat said hesitantly. Leena looked at her in surprise.

"Really? Are you ready for that?"

"I'm pretty sure Myka's already figured it out by now so I don't see why not," Kat said with a shrug. Leena gave her a one-armed hug as they got closer to the car.

"Everything will be fine. You'll see," she said confidently as she watched Kat get into the car.

"What'll you see?" Claudia asked as Kat climbed into the driver seat.

"Leena thinks I'll be able to persuade Artie into letting me go to Vegas alone for my birthday, but I'm not so sure," Kat said quickly, covering up her troubled look. The drive seemed to last an eternity to Kat, who couldn't help but think of all the possible outcomes of her announcement. Would they take it well? Would they avoid her? Would she be allowed to continue working at the Warehouse? They were stupid questions, but they haunted Kat nonetheless. Claudia went down to the Warehouse floor with Artie while Kat and Leena stayed up in the office organizing files. They worked silently until Kat's phone went started buzzing with a call from Claudia.

"Hey can you bring your bike and meet us down by the disco ball?" Claudia asked immediately.

"Sure. When?"

"Now, if possible." Kat hung up and ran down to where her bike was stored and rode over to Artie and Claudia. They were trying to put the cover back over Lewis Carroll's mirror when Kat reached them.

"What's going on?" They turned to her as they succeeded in putting the cover over the entire mirror.

"We have a slight problem, but nothing to worry about until we get back to the office," Claudia said quickly. Kat didn't look convinced and stared at the mirror curiously.

"Don't just stand there. Help us get this on the cart," Artie said, blocking her vision. Kat frowned, but did as asked and tied cables down over the mirror to secure it. She rode back to the office and waited for Claudia and Artie catch up with her. The three of them struggled to get the mirror up the stairs while it was still attached to the cart.

"Careful!"

"Stop yelling!"

"Be quiet, both of you!" Kat shouted at them. She ended up taking the brunt of the weight going up the stairs and was quickly tiring of their bickering. They finally got the mirror into the office where Kat sat in Artie's chair and tried to catch her breath. Leena came in through the umbilicus and Artie berated her for taking her time in arriving.

"What's this?" Leena asked curiously.

"Well, this is why I called you," Artie said as he pulled the cover off the mirror. Kat watched in horror as Myka stared back at them with terror in her face.

"Why didn't you tell me that Myka was in the mirror?" Kat asked in a deathly calm voice. Claudia and Artie shuddered simultaneously and looked at each to see who would answer the angry Russian.

"Artie, what happened?" Leena asked, breaking the tension.

"Optical divagation, I think," he said with a sigh.

"What?" Claudia asked.

"Kind of like a retinal flare after a photo flash. My best guess is the blast from the disco ball, it kind of fritzed this mirror's primary reflective capacity and probably clipped part of Myka's psyche and fused it in there. It's kind of like a shadow on the wall after Hiroshima," Artie tried to explain.

"It's a pretty lively shadow," Leena observed.

"Yes, but is it?" Artie countered.

"Is it what?"

"Alive," Leena said simply. She and Artie shared a look before Leena rolled up her sleeves and Artie took a firm hold of her belt.

"What's that about?" Claudia asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to pull her back if she falls in. Get your mind out of the gutter," Artie replied sardonically. Artie braced himself and Leena put her hand on different spots of the mirror where Myka stood. After a moment of searching, Artie pulled her back.

"So?"

"Nothing," Leena said in confusion.

"So what is it? Just a shadow play?"

"Well, the glass is like a barrier. If that's alive I can't tell," Leena said as she stared at the mirror.

"Let's just ask her," Claudia suggested.

"It," Artie corrected briskly.

"Well 'it' might have something to tell us. Why can't we just talk to her?" Claudia snapped back.

"Because we do not converse with reflective entities, okay?"

"Because?"

"Bloody Mary," Kat said quietly from the chair. Claudia looked at her in disbelief.

"That's just an urban legend, though, right?"

"Oh it's very much real," Kat said as she stood up.

"Shadows have power and you let this thing speak and there is no telling what could happen," Artie said. He started mumbling to himself, but turned away to call Pete on the Farnsworth. Pete wasn't picking up a bad vibe from Myka so Artie cut the call.

"He's fine and so is Myka, okay?" Artie said to Leena and Kat. They didn't look convinced, but it was enough to make Artie turn back and look for clues about the mirror. As Leena and Artie debated details over the mirror, Kat went over to take a nap on the chair by the door.

"What is that?" came Leena's voice. It startled Kat, who woke up with a jolt and sat up straight. She sleepily stretched and walked over to the mirror where Claudia had placed a tripod in front of it. There was something attached to the top of it, but it was covered up.

"It's just something I whipped up," Claudia said as she adjusted the tripod.

"What do you mean, whipped up? Just now?" Artie asked suspiciously.

"Yeah that's right," came Claudia's response. She took off the cover. It looked like a mess of electrical boxes tied together by rope.

"What are you doing?"

"Opening a line of communication. The CIA uses laser mics to read vibrations off windows to hear what's going on the other side of the window, right?"

"Yeah," Artie said cautiously.

"I want to hear what she has to say," Claudia said with determination. Artie cut in front of her before she could take down the cover, which had been put back up while Kat was sleeping.

"Bloody Mary, shadows have power, I get it, but what if that's not just a shadow, Artie?" Claudia asked impatiently. After some persuading and trying to get around him, Artie finally pulled down the cover and allowed Claudia to set up her machine. She pushed a few buttons and suddenly a blue laser shot at the mirror, making the surface ripple with the force.

"I've been burned by this before. They look real and they'll say anything," Artie warned.

"Say something," Claudia encouraged.

"Artie when I get out of here I'm hugging her and I'm kicking your ass," Myka's shadow said. Leena and Kat smirked at the sass.

"That won't be happening," Artie said as he swiveled on his chair.

"Artie it's me," pleaded the shadow.

"You're just a reflection. The real Myka is in Las Vegas on a mission with Pete," Artie said calmly.

"What? No I'm not, Artie," the shadow said.

"See?" Claudia said to Artie.

"That's exactly what I mean. You just don't get it. Turn that thing off," he ordered.

"Artie, if I'm in Vegas with Pete, then how can I be here? Just don't turn it off," the shadow reasoned. Artie turned off the laser against her words.

"Whatever that thing is, it's never getting out of here," he said with finality.

"Artie, I understand your need to take everything with a grain of salt, but I think Claudia might be onto something," Kat said. Artie ignored her and went back to researching the mirror Kat glared at him in frustration and walked into the kitchen to make some coffee. Claudia followed her and sat in a chair, watching as the older girl started muttering to herself in Russian. Kat noticed that Claudia had followed her and sighed.

"We can't help him solve this if he refuses to listen," she said. Claudia nodded and waited for her to continue. Kat poured her coffee into a mug and lead Claudia out to the porch. The two girls sat side-by-side and stared sullenly at the Warehouse until Kat ran out of coffee and had to go back in for more. They stayed with Artie and Leena, pacing about the room until Leena spoke up.

"You know when you hold a mirror up to a second mirror and you get that sort of reflected infinity thing?" Kat and Artie nodded while Claudia kept pacing. "Well, what happens if that mirror is reflected into something like the Studio 54 disco ball? Is it possible to get some kind of artifact interaction? Something completely unexpected?"

"I don't know," Artie said tiredly.

"What if the disco ball goes off and someone is standing in front of Alice's mirror?"

"Just like Myka was," Kat said, catching onto Leena's thought.

"I think we know what happens," Artie said in an obvious tone of voice.

"Do we really?" Leena countered.

"Could reflections switch places?" Claudia asked.

"Could people?" Leena added.

"If they could, then theoretically the personalities should follow too," Kat said.

"She pulls to the right," Artie said in awe.

"Pardon?" Kat and Leena asked.

"It's something I noticed a couple months ago. When Myka's mad at me, she pulls to the right," Artie said as he walked closer to the mirror.

"She's mad at you now. Has been for about a week," Claudia said.

"So is she…" Leena started.

"Pulling…" Claudia continued.

"To the right?" Kat finished. Artie didn't answer, but took down the cover to the mirror and sat his chair in front of it. He nodded at Claudia and she turned on the machine.

"You're really mad at me," Artie started.

"I feel sorry for you, actually," Myka's shadow said from where it was sitting.

"Why is that?"

"Because of all the things right in front of your face that you simply refuse to see."

"Like what?"

"Like me."

"Well, I need to ask you a question only the real Myka would know the answer to," Artie said after an awkward moment.

"You're wasting time, Artie, cause Pete's in danger," Myka said curtly.

"So are you, right? If you're really who you say you are," Artie insisted.

"Okay," Myka said after a moment. "Here's what you and I both know, but we never talk about it." Artie waited for her to continue.

"That I don't trust you. That I need you to tell me the truth and to not treat me like chess piece that you move around on a board that only you can see. That I am valuable, that I matter, and that I deserve to know everything I can about this world that you send me into every day so at least I have a fighting chance." Kat sat down and crossed her arms over her chest and listened with a sense of satisfaction. _This_ was Myka, not the woman who was with Pete.

"In spite of everything, I like you. I think you're great. And I want you to think the same of me," Myka finished. Artie kneeled down in front of the mirror and put his hand on it. Myka put her hand on the same spot from her side of the mirror.

"I screwed up," Artie said simply.

"Yes you did," Myka said bluntly. Artie smiled faintly and stood up.

"Call them," Kat said as she handed Artie the Farnsworth.

"Well, what do you want me to say? 'Hi Myka. We think you're sharing a body with a deranged psychopath?'" Artie said sarcastically.

"I don't know! Ask them about her ferret for all I care," Kat defended herself. Artie thought about it and nodded his approval before calling them. Alice-Myka answered the call.

"Hey," she said sweetly. Kat, who wasn't in view of the Farnsworth, shuddered and pretended to vomit at the sickly sweet tone, much to the amusement of the ladies.

"Hey. Is Pete with you?" Artie asked, trying to ignore Kat.

"No. Listen, I'm a bit busy. Can I call you back?" Alice-Myka said.

"Yeah sure. Is everything okay?"

"It will be as soon as I can get back to work."

"Okay, yeah. I've got some bad news. Leena tells me that your ferret escaped and she's been trying to call for it. She doesn't know its name. I don't even know if you finally named that thing, did you?" Artie asked.

"No, actually, I never did. Just put some food out and it'll come back. I've got to go," Alice-Myka said before she hung up.

"I didn't think you would take me seriously on that. What's so important about the ferret's name?" Kat asked.

"Myka did name the ferret. She's just not telling Pete the name," Leena said smugly.

"Why not?" Claudia asked before Kat could.

"She named it Pete," Artie said with a sigh. Claudia and Kat laughed at that.

"Yeah, it's cute, but so annoying," Myka said as an explanation.

"I like that. That's good," Claudia said to her.

"You think that's funny? Because if she thinks we know, she'll kill him," Artie said tensely.

"Not if we don't warn him," Kat said. They spent several minutes trying to call Pete on his cell and trying not to think of the worst possible scenario.

"I can't get a hold of him. His cell keeps going to voicemail," Artie said finally.

"He's in a big hotel. Why not just call him from the front desk?" Kat asked as she poured herself a third cup of coffee.

"Don't you think you're had enough coffee? You know how caffeine affects you," Leena said as she scrutinized the mug.

"What else do you want me to drink, Leena? I hate tea and I don't think whiskey is going to help me contribute," Kat snapped at her. Leena just raised an eyebrow at her and held out her hand. Kat glared at the hand before passing over her mug.

"Don't make her too angry, Leena. We all know how cranky she gets without coffee," Claudia said with a grin.

"You've never seen her with too much coffee," Leena said as Kat sat back in her chair.

"Is it really that bad?" Myka asked from the mirror.

"Think of Pete with comic books, multiply that by five, and that's generally how much energy she has with more than three cups of coffee," Leena said as she stroked Kat's hair.

"It's better than dealing with headaches all day long," Kat said as she closed her eyes. After Artie got a hold of Pete, they all went to work and started laying out a trap for Alice-Myka. Artie and Kat took the mirror back down to the Warehouse floor and covered it back up with the sheet while Claudia and Leena hid in a room next to the office. Artie headed back to the office with a plan to find and follow Alice-Myka to the mirror while Kat stayed behind and hoisted the Studio 54 disco ball into the air. After securing it with some rope, Kat hid behind a crate and waited for Alice-Myka to show up. Kat saw her walk by a few minutes later and stood to follow her when she saw Pete come out from behind another aisle and start flinging ping-pong balls at her. Alice-Myka pointed her gun at Pete and Pete yelled to Artie, who shot up a flare signaling Claudia and Leena. A second later, the disco ball was hit with a laser and it started flashing and playing 80s music. The light hit the mirror and the mirror started glowing, making Alice-Myka scream. Kat closed her eyes and looked away from the mirror, turning back once the light had died down. The real Myka stood there with a relieved look on her face. Kat ran to hug her and smiled as Myka hugged Pete and Artie.

"I know we're not supposed to do this, but can we please burn that mirror?" Kat asked as they walked back up to the office. Artie laughed at her question and shook his head no. They were quiet on the ride home and silently ate dinner. After washing the dishes, Kat felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Pete, Myka, Claudia, and Leena looking at her expectantly.

"Come on, girlie. It's time you had your first drink," Pete said, slinging an arm over her shoulder. They all walked out to Pete's car and climbed inside.

"My first legal drink, you mean," Kat said with a grin.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Myka said with a smile.

"Oh calm down, Mykes. Don't act as if you never had a couple sips before your 21st," Pete said.

"A few sips, sure, but never anything more than that," Myka said defensively.

"Leena, why are Mommy and Daddy fighting?" Kat asked with a wide grin. Leena and Claudia started laughing while Pete and Myka's bickering got worse.

"How about this?" Pete said to Myka as they pulled up to the only bar in Univille, "I'll teach her how to drink responsibly and you teach her how to pick up guys."

"Or Myka can teach me how to drink responsibly and you can teach me how to pick up girls," Kat suggested as they got out of the car. Pete and Claudia stared at her as if she had grown three heads while Leena and Myka were nonchalant.

"You can't seriously tell me you thought she was straight, can you?" Myka said as they entered the bar.

"Well I was going to ask, but since you beat me to it, it means less work for me," Pete said with a wide grin.

"I think you made a mistake in telling Pete," Claudia said as she gave Kat a side hug. Kat felt warmth spread through her chest as she realized that Claudia wasn't going to avoid her.

"Don't say that, Claudia. It would be my honor to teach you the art of ensnaring the fairer sex," Pete said in a posh British accent. They all laughed at Pete and ordered a round of drinks. Pete, Myka, and Leena all took turns telling Kat and Claudia about their 21st birthdays and the two younger girls died laughing. As it got later, Kat excused herself to get some fresh air. As she was pulling on her coat, she felt something in her pocket and pulled out a sliver of paper. On it was the phone number that Mrs. F had given her a few weeks back when they were in Washington, D.C. Kat stared at the paper for a minute before pulling out her phone and dialing the number. Kat waited nervously as the dial tone rang numerous times.

"Hello? Who is this?" came Thomas Kane's sleepy voice. Hearing it brought back a rush of memories from and made Kat feel sick to her stomach.

"Hi Tom. It's Katie McLeod. I heard you've been looking for me."


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't understand what the big deal is, Pete. It was just a phone call," Kat said as she rifled through a stack of papers. She and Pete were in the Warehouse filing away folders that Artie had taken out while assisting Pete and Myka on their latest mission. It had a few weeks since Kat's birthday and her late night phone call to the marshal who had been her handler during her time in WITSEC. Since then, it had been a game of phone tag as one would call the other when they were busy and left cryptic messages.

"It isn't just this phone call. You've been getting a lot of calls lately. I'm just curious who they're from," Pete said, trying to sound innocent.

"What do you expect me to say? That I have a stripper girlfriend who goes by the name Chastity?" Kat asked sarcastically. Pete almost looked excited.

"Do you?"

"No! I know better than to go after strippers, unlike you," Kat said playfully as she closed a filing cabinet.

"That was one time and I haven't done it since," Pete said defensively.

"I think I walked in on the wrong part of the conversation," Myka said as she entered the office.

"How much did you hear?" Kat asked with a grin.

"Something about Pete and a stripper, which I frankly don't need to know about," Myka said as Pete opened his mouth to explain.

"Probably a good thing. You never know what goes on in there," Kat said, playfully shoving Pete's head down towards the desk. She ran behind Myka as Pete tried to tickle her in retaliation and heard her phone go off. She checked the number and frowned.

"I'll be outside," she said to Pete and Myka. They looked at each other as she left through the umbilicus.

"Is everything alright with her?" Myka asked. Pete lifted his hands in the air in confusion.

"I was trying to figure that out before you came in," he said, staring at the door. Outside, Kat took a deep breath before answering her phone.

"Hi Tom," she said with a sigh.

"Hi Katja. I'm glad I was able to catch you and not your voice mail," Tom responded pleasantly.

"Sorry about that. Work has been a little hectic. You know what that's like," Kat said casually. "What's up?"

"I'm sure Mrs. Frederic must have told you this already, but your uncle was caught by the NYPD earlier this year and he's now awaiting trial," Tom said, using a more business-like voice at the change in topic. "The prosecution is building a case against him as we speak, but they've been pushing my boss to bring you in to testify."

"That's not going to happen," Kat said immediately.

"Please Katja. Your testimony could be the proverbial nail in his coffin," Tom said imploringly.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Kat heard a sigh over the phone.

"You didn't hear this from me, but the prosecution is pushing for the harshest punishment. As of right now, he's got prostitution, arson, drug trafficking, and murder on his jacket. If he is found guilty of any of these, it's doubtful the judge and jury will go easy on him," Tom explained.

"You better add rape to that list, Tom. A needle in the arm would be too nice for what he's done to me," Kat said viciously. There was a long silence on the other end.

"I had no idea that he put you through that, but that just adds to the fact that he deserves to be punished for his crimes. You could be key to making that all happen."

"You're asking too much of me. I'm not scared of my uncle anymore, Tom, I'm furious. If you put me in the same room as him, I can't guarantee that he'll be alive when he leaves," Kat said through angry tears. It was true - she wasn't afraid of Ivan anymore. She wanted him dead, but she also didn't want to be anywhere near him.

"I understand and I've tried telling my bosses that you are completely against the idea of seeing your uncle, but they're pressuring me to bring you to New York for the trial," Tom repeated with a heavy sigh.

"Has anybody considered asking my grandmother to testify?" Kat asked, rubbing her eyes in frustration.

"Your grandmother was diagnosed with stage three liver cancer a few months back and is claiming to be too ill to testify," Tom said with a hard edge in his voice.

"Of course she would say that. The woman was always good at getting people to do her dirty work," Kat said with a bitter laugh. She was quiet for a long time before speaking again.

"I want to see Sophie," she said firmly.

"How do you know that she's involved in the trial at all?" Tom asked. Kat knew that he was avoiding giving her an answer.

"I know she's the one who pushed for my case to be reopened. She's the reason all of this is happening. If I see her, I'll consider testifying."

"How could you possibly know that?" Tom asked incredulously.

"I did some digging. Either you arrange a meeting with Sophie or I'll make sure you or Mrs. Frederic will never be able to find me," Kat threatened.

"You would be letting your uncle get away with everything," Tom accused.

"That would get him released from custody and leave him open for me to find him. I'm not sure how long that would take, but I don't think your bosses will be too happy to find pieces of him floating down the Hudson River some day," Kat threatened. There was a tense silence and Kat heard the clicking of a computer in the background.

"I'll arrange the meet, but it may take some time," Tom said tiredly.

"I'll be in New York tomorrow. If I don't see her, don't bother calling me again," Kat said.

"Where will I find you?" Tom asked.

"I'll find you," Kat said as she hung up the phone. She took a deep breath, released all the tension from her body, and wiped her face dry before walking back into the Warehouse. Pete and Myka were standing there with their arms crossed, waiting for an explanation. Kat sighed again and went to the computer.

"My uncle's trial is coming up and they want me to testify," she said as she typed away.

"Why didn't you say something sooner? We could have helped you," Myka asked.

"What could you guys have done, Myka? You don't even know my uncle and I don't want any of you to come within fifty miles of him," Kat said as she looked at the printer expectantly. A second later, it started making noises and spat out two plane tickets.

"We could have at least offered some moral support, Kat," Pete said as he sat down.

"So what are you going to do?" Myka asked. Kat got up and went into the back room before coming back out with a file.

"I am going to New York to meet with the marshals. They're going to arrange for me to meet with Sophie, my old maid. She and I were in Witness Protection together and I haven't seen her in years," Kat said as she set the file under the plane tickets.

"But you are going to testify, right?" Pete asked. Kat leaned against the desk and thought about the question.

"I don't know, Pete. My uncle put me through a lot and I don't know how well I would handle seeing him again," she said with a frown. Myka went over to her and gave her a hug.

"Let us know what you decide and we'll support you with whatever you decide," she said softly.

"Thanks Myka," Kat said as she squeezed her back. She grabbed the file and her keys and left for the B&B. She went upstairs to pack and found Leena dropping off a stack of laundry.

"I thought you were still at the Warehouse," Leena said in surprise. She watched as Kat took out a bag and started stuffing clothes in it.

"I got a call from Witness Protection today. They want me to testify against my uncle," Kat said as she went into her bathroom.

"Are you going to do it?" Leena asked, sitting on the bed as she waited for Kat to finish packing.

"I told them I wouldn't do it unless I saw Sophie, but even then I'm not sure that I want to testify," Kat said. She came back with her toothbrush and toothpaste and stuffed them in her bag.

"Have you told Mrs. Frederic yet?" Leena asked with a frown.

"It literally happened 10 minutes ago. I'll call her on my way to the airport," Kat said. She pulled out a roll of duct tape from her desk drawer and tossed it at Leena, who put it in the bag without question. Kat went to her closet and pulled out a small black safe that Leena had never seen before.

"When did you get that?" she asked.

"Don't ask and I won't lie to you," Kat said. She pulled out a gun, two magazines, and a wallet that looked suspiciously like a Secret Service badge.

"Do Myka and Pete know that you stole Secret Service property?" Leena asked, her frown getting deeper. Kat grinned at her.

"What they don't know won't hurt them," she said. She pulled out a gun clip and took all of her Secret Service paraphernalia to her bag.

"Won't TSA know that you aren't Secret Service?" Leena asked with a resigned sigh.

"Most people won't question it, but I'm prepared for that. Give me a hug before I leave," Kat said as she zipped up her bag.

"Where are you going?" Claudia asked, coming into Kat's room.

"New York," Kat said as she squeezed Leena tightly.

"And you're going alone?" Claudia asked.

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Why do you want to know?" Kat asked.

"Are you going after an artifact? Do you need back up? Have you told Artie yet?" Claudia asked as she followed Kat into the kitchen.

"How can someone so cute ask so many questions?" Kat asked, pinching Claudia's cheek. Claudia felt her cheeks turn bright red and backed away a little as she tried to stop blushing. She watched in surprise as Kat pulled out a small red case from behind the fridge and opened it. Inside were 12 throwing knives of varying sizes. Kat pulled out each knife individually and studied them, not catching Claudia's reaction.

"Knowing Artie, he probably already knows and is renting a car and hotel for me as we speak. You don't have to worry about me, Claud," Kat said with a smile.

"She says, holding her knife up to the light," Claudia narrated sarcastically. Kat laughed and put her knives in her bag.

"I'm just taking them in case of an emergency. I'll be fine," Kat insisted.

"Fine. Let me know when you get to New York," Claudia said, watching Kat put on a sleek black leather jacket that she didn't know Kat had.

"I will," Kat said, pulling Claudia into a hug. After a minute, Kat pulled away and stared at Claudia. She hesitated before kissing the corner of Claudia's mouth and stepped away.

"I'll be back soon," Kat said on her way to the door. Artie walked in right as Kat entered the hallway. He held out a booklet and Kat took it, finding hotel and car reservations along with a wad of cash.

"Be safe," Artie said with a meaningful glance. The underlying "Don't get caught" didn't escape Kat's notice. Artie knew that Kat wouldn't go all the way to New York just for a meeting that could take 15 minutes. He was letting her know that he would support whatever she did in New York or at least bail her out of jail if it came to that.

"Thanks Artie," Kat said as she closed the door. She would need all the support he could give her over the next few days.

" _Why are we here?" Kat asked with an attitude. Irene Frederic looked at Kat over the top of a menu. She had adopted Kat that morning and had brought her to a diner on Marti Gras Street to tell her._

" _Because it's lunch time," Irene said simply, looking back at her menu. Kat frowned at the older woman._

" _Why are we really here?" she asked. Irene sighed and put down her menu._

" _For the foreseeable future, you will be living with me. I wanted a chance to get to know you better," she said to the 15 year old. Kat rolled her eyes and stubbornly crossed her arms. Irene grinned at the sight._

" _How about this: for every question you ask, I'll give you an honest answer, and for every question I ask, you'll give me an honest answer. Are you alright with that?" Irene asked. Kat studied her before nodding. "Good, then you can go first."_

" _Do you always wear suits like that one?" Kat asked immediately. Irene looked down at her suit and smiled._

" _I suppose I do," she said, as if it was a surprise to her. Kat smiled shyly at the way she said it. They ordered and continued asking each other trivial questions until their food came out._

" _When was the last time you came to a diner like this?" Irene asked when she saw how fast Kat was eating._

" _When I was 13. Sophie dragged me to one after we moved here. She said I shouldn't be afraid to leave my own house," Kat said in between bites. The mood turned dark as the meaning behind those words sank in. Kat sat back in her chair and took a sip of water._

" _Do you know where Sophie is?" she asked._

" _No. I can look for her if you want me to," Irene replied. She saw Kat hesitate in answering and asked a question instead of waiting for a response._

" _What happened in that house?" Kat hugged herself and looked at the table for a long time._

" _Uncle Ivan was always bringing girls through the house. One week he would bring in 20 or 30 and keep them in the attic. His friends would take them out one at a time until it was just me in the house," she said, putting her water down. "He gave me my own room. I guess it was a small mercy. I couldn't handle being in a small room with so many people for so long." Kat took a deep breath before continuing._

" _He had a real bad temper. If he didn't get his way or if a business deal went bad, he would take one of the girls to his room and wouldn't leave for hours. And if I misbehaved, he would have one of his minions hold me down and make me watch him rape the girls before he raped me. It hurt for a while, but at some point it hurt more to watch him hurt the other girls." She wasn't crying, but her eyes were glassy. She looked at Mrs. Frederic._

" _Are you going to hurt me?" That one question shocked Irene more than Kat's description of the past six months._

" _I will never want to hurt you, but if I do, it will be unintentional," Irene said carefully. She did promise honesty after all. "Do you ever think about hurting your uncle?"_

" _All the time. He's the reason behind every shitty moment in my life. I want to hurt him like he hurt me," Kat said darkly, looking straight into Irene's eyes. It was a dare, a test to see if Irene would try to stop her or turn her into the police. They didn't break the stare until the waitress gave the check to Irene._

" _If I ever find my uncle, I'm going to want to kill him. Are you going to stop me Mrs. Frederic?" Kat asked in a steady voice. Irene opened her purse and pulled out a small red case. She gave it to Kat and watched the girl's eyes widen as she saw the knives inside._

" _Those were found in your uncle's house. I think you might find them handy," Irene said calmly._

" _You didn't answer my question," Kat said quietly._

" _I don't normally condone violence of any kind, but what your uncle did to you and those girls is inexcusable. If you ever feel the need to use these, think long and hard about what it is you're doing and if you're prepared to live with the consequences," Irene said to Kat. The girl nodded mutely and gripped the case tightly in her hands._

" _What do you do for a living?" Kat asked as they were leaving the diner. Irene smiled and put an arm around her shoulder._

" _I'll tell you in the car."_

Kat blinked twice and took her coffee from the barista with a small nod before claiming a table by the window. She was sitting in a café in, discretely watching the building across the street. The café was conveniently placed across the street from the FBI building where Thomas Kane had disappeared almost an hour ago. It wasn't unusual to see one federal government agent go inside another federal building, but for that agent to spend so much time inside was indicative of two things – they were under investigation or they were looking for someone. Despite the short notice Kat had given Thomas, she felt confident that he would be able to bring Sophie out of hiding, or at the very least lead Kat to her. Kat pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to a new number and watched the FBI building closely. A teenage boy on a board skated into view, dropped a brown envelope in front of the doors, and skated away. Moments later a security guard came outside to take the envelope inside. Kat smiled and dialed Thomas' number.

"Hello?"

"It's Katja. Have you found Sophie yet?" Kat asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"You make it sound like I don't already have her in custody," Thomas said.

"I know for a fact you don't have her in custody, Thomas. If you did, this conversation would be a little different," Kat snapped.

"What do you want me to do, Katja?" Thomas asked in frustration. Kat heard someone talking to Thomas in the background and her smile returned.

"Open the envelope that your lovely security guard just gave you." Silence was heard for a brief minute before Kat heard the soft ripping sound of a cardboard box being opened.

"Is there a reason you sent me a picture of an old man?" Thomas asked.

"That's Michael Reston, otherwise known as Mikhail Plechenkov. He's originally from Moscow, but emigrated here in '93. He currently works as a guard at the center where you're holding my uncle. He's been taking pay-offs from the Russian mob and the IRA over the last few years. His job is to look the other way when things go wrong."

"And why should I care?"

"He'll be the one driving my dear uncle to his court hearing in a few weeks. My uncle's associates have already made arrangements with Mikhail for my uncle to be taken to one of his safe houses in the city. Or that's what I hear," Kat said, lowering her voice as a woman and her son walked past her.

"This isn't like you, Katja. Don't do anything you'll regret," Thomas said calmly. Kat smirked as she saw four FBI agents exit their building, presumably looking for something or someone.

"You don't know a damn thing about me, Thomas Kane. I want to see Sophie," Kat said evenly, her smirk never disappearing.

"Well I came close to convincing my boss to let me get her, but that little care package you sent put him on edge," Thomas said sarcastically.

"He'll get over it if he wants me to testify. Bring Sophie to Central Park in an hour or I walk."

"Even if we had the resources to do that, I don't think my boss would give the go ahead."

"That just won't do, Tom. If I don't see Sophie then I'll pay Mikhail Plechenkov a visit and I won't be borrowing cream and sugar."

"And if we don't make it?" Thomas asked after a brief pause.

"How long do you think it'll take your boys to find my uncle when I've finished with him?" Kat asked before she ended the call. She sat back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee. _And now I wait_. 15 minutes later Thomas Kane walked into the coffee shop. He was tall with short copper hair and brown eyes. His black suit was open revealing a light blue shirt and darker blue tie that was loose around his neck. He looked around the store before his eyes landed on Kat and he walked over.

"You are smarter than I remember, Tom," Kat said, her smirk turning into a genuine smile.

"Cream and sugar. Really? You know I take my coffee black," he said with a tired smile. Kat took a sip of her coffee laced heavily with vanilla flavored creamer and smiled at him.

"You've certainly grown up," Tom said with a nostalgic smile. The wrinkles around his eyes were more pronounced as his smile widened and Kat was struck with the memory of a younger Thomas Kane with the exact same wrinkles.

"You have more wrinkles."

"Are those freckles I see on your face?"

"Are those grey hairs I see near your temples?"

"While this trip down memory is nice, I doubt it's the reason we're meeting here instead of Central Park," Tom said in a jovial tone. Kat drank the last of her coffee and tossed it into a nearby trashcan.

"I'm glad you noticed. It's a good thing you're so punctual because you almost didn't make it in time," she said, turning in her chair to face the door.

"Are we waiting for somebody?" Tom asked with a slight frown. Kat smirked at him, noticing how he fidgeted nervously.

"I think you know who we're waiting for," she said vaguely. The doorbell rang and the pair looked to the entrance as Sophie Devereaux walked in. She was dressed comfortably in jeans, a plain blue shirt, and running shoes, her blond hair pulled into a ponytail away from her face. Tom looked at Kat in shock and Kat's smirk turned bitter.

"Did you really I wouldn't find out where she worked?" she asked in Russian, angling her body to face the window. Sophie heard the words and her head snapped in their direction, her blue eyes landing first on Tom and then on Kat's head.

"Tom who is this?" Sophie asked in English. Kat looked at her and Sophie paled considerably, her eyes filling with tears.

"Kitten?" she whispered in Russian. Kat teared up and smiled at Sophie.

"Hi Soph. Why don't you sit with us?" Kat asked, holding out her hand. Sophie grabbed it immediately and sat in the chair next to her, her eyes never leaving her face.

"You look so grown up," Sophie said in French, her words catching in her throat.

"Seven years is a long time, Sophie," Kat responded softly. Tom cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Ladies I only took two years of Spanish so I don't know what you've just said," he said. Kat glared at him.

"You have no right to speak," she said, switching back to English. "Why did you lie to me?"

"She's still in Witness Protection, Kat. I couldn't just tell you over the phone without knowing who else was listening," Tom whispered.

"I'm glad you came, Katja," Sophie said, taking Kat's eyes away from Tom. "I never gave up hope that you were still alive."

"It would have been safer for you if you had. Where did they find Ivan?" Kat asked.

"Chinatown. It was a floating gambling ring that had been under investigation and he just happened to be there when it was busted," Tom said.

"Where have you been, Kitten? Why didn't you find Tom when you escaped?" Sophie asked. Tom looked a little put out by the intrusion, but waited patiently for Kat's answer.

"I was 15, Sophie. I didn't think I would make it and suddenly I was given a way out and I took it without a second thought. I thought of you everyday and prayed that you were safe," Kat said, blinking back tears. Sophie's grip on Kat's hand tightened. It was uncomfortable, but Kat didn't care. She looked at Sophie and thought of days when they would bake cookies in their apartment in Paris and weekend trips to Kiev with her grandmother. Then a new picture came into her head that made her tense up. She was sitting at the witness stand, staring into her uncle's eyes as he glared at her. A sense of pride filled her, knowing that she had said the truth about her uncle and had done her part in putting him away. Tom and Sophie sat together, smiling in encouragement as Ivan was led out of the courthouse.

"Are you okay, Katja?" Sophie asked in concern. Kat blinked to make the vision go away and smiled at the other woman.

"Everything is going to be okay. I promise," she said. She took a deep breath and looked at Tom.

"What do I need to do?"


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone! So I've slacked off a little bit when it comes to uploading new chapters so I figured I would give you two in one day. Chapter 6 was posted just before this one so if you haven't read that one then go do that :) As usual, I don't any of the characters besides Kat. Enjoy!

"So I got an interesting call from Mrs. Frederic this morning," Artie said. Kat was helping him with the filing in the office and was up to her ears in dusty cardboard boxes.

"What did she have to say?" Kat asked.

"She told me that you're going to be testifying in your uncle's trial in a few weeks," Artie said nonchalantly.

"Okay?"

"She wanted to know if someone was going with you." Kat put down the file she was looking over and stared at Artie.

"Is this your way of asking if I need you to go with me?" she asked with a grin.

"I just thought you would take it better if you knew Mrs. Frederic was asking on your behalf. And I offered to go in her stead, by the way. She's not the only one who is worried about you," Artie said defensively. Kat smiled at the rough way Artie showed his affection.

"Yes please," she said. Artie looked ready to defend himself again until he realized what she said.

"That's it? You're not going to fight me on it?" he asked. Kat left her file and went to lean on Artie's desk, reaching out to hold his hand.

"Artie, you found me the day of the explosion and you know that I get overly emotional with anything involving my uncle. I don't think I can handle this without you," Kat said.

"I thought you would want Leena to go with you," Artie said uncertainly.

"Sure, it would be nice for Leena to be there too, but I really want you to be there," Kat said with a small smile. Artie smiled back and squeezed her hand tightly before letting go at the sound of an alarm going off.

"What's that?" Kat asked in confusion.

"A reminder. I have to give all the mission reports to the Regents' courier today and I set myself an alarm so that I would remember to stop working and leave on time," Artie said as he rushed around to tidy up his desk. Kat scrunched up her nose as she remembered the reports she spent all night writing.

"Do the Regents even read those? Or do they have someone to read them aloud?" she asked.

"Who knows? I need to get going. Claudia will be by in a little while to do some chores. Pete and Myka are still at the B&B so I need to swing by and pick up their reports…" Artie said, mumbling to himself as he left through the umbilicus. Kat shook her head and sat at Artie's desk to print out the next set of inventory lists. After labeling who should take what stack, she went to the floor and started on her own list. Kat danced her way through the shelves, marking off each item one by one as she listened to music from her iPod. All of a sudden Kat heard a loud crash and paused her music to look around. Seeing nothing, she put her headphones back in and pressed play. A little while later her Farnsworth went off and she paused the music again to answer the call.

"Hey Kat. Have you seen Claudia?" Myka asked.

"Nope. I didn't even realize you guys were in yet. Last I heard, Artie said Claudia was on her way and you guys were still at the B&B," Kat said with a frown.

"Okay. I'm a little worried because the zip line is down and Claudia wasn't in the office when Pete and I got. And Artie's computer said that there were multiple artifact disturbances," Myka said.

"I did hear a crash some time ago. I hope she's alright, wherever she is," Kat said with a frown. There was some mumbling on the other line and Pete's face replaced Myka's.

"Myka and I are following the zip line to see if that leads us to Claudia. Why don't you try doing the same and maybe we'll meet up somewhere along the way," he said.

"Good idea. We'd better get to her before anything bad happens," Kat said. She hung up and left the inventory list at the end of the row she had been working on. She turned in the direction of the office and tried positioning herself close to where she remembered the zip line to be. Moving a couple of aisles over, she spotted the line and started walking towards it, calling out Claudia's name as she walked through the aisle. Several minutes later Kat saw a large chain of electricity coming towards her and ducked to get out of the way.

"Ow!" Kat said as the ball touched her shoulder. She rubbed her shoulder as she stood and kept walking, hearing voices getting closer. She turned the corner and saw Pete and Myka standing in front of a huge replica of Leena's B&B.

"Welcome to the Dollhouse," Kat said as she got closer.

"You knew this was here?" Myka asked.

"Yup. When I first got my bike, I would ride it here from the B&B and leave it outside because Artie didn't want me tracking dirt in the office. I brought it inside one day when it was raining and rode it all the way down here to help cut down my inventory time. I almost rode the bike through the living room window," Kat said.

"It would have paired nicely with the Claudia-shaped hole in the roof," Pete said wryly. Myka opened the door and hesitantly called out Claudia's name. The girl in question ran down the stairs a second later.

"Don't close the door!" she said right as the door closed shut.

"Thank God you're okay," Kat said, running forward to hug the girl.

"Yeah I'm good. We're stuck here for eternity, but otherwise I'm solid," Claudia said sarcastically. Pete left through the front door and reappeared through a different hallway, looking back and forth in confusion.

"That's new," Kat said with wide eyes.

"You mean you didn't know about that? I thought you said you ran into this place," Pete said.

"I said I almost crashed into it. I never once came inside," Kat said. The ladies watched as Pete kept trying to leave out the front door a few more times before they all moved into the living room. Kat sat in the armchair and watched as Pete and Myka processed the news that they couldn't leave in different ways. Claudia stepped out for a minute and came back in right as Pete dove out one window and reappeared through the other.

"Pete is that really the best way to use your energy right now?" Kat asked with a heavy sigh. She shook her head as the three of them sat down on the loveseat and thought of new ways to leave the house.

"So this version of the B&B is here because…?" Myka started.

"It's an artifact," Pete finished.

"Can this whole place be an artifact? Is that even possible?" Claudia asked in frustration.

"Yes and yes," Kat said, rubbing at her temples as she felt the beginnings of a headache forming.

"Kat what else do you know about this house?" Myka asked.

"All I know is that the house had to be moved and rebuilt because of an artifact," Kat said.

"So we look for anything that's different from our B&B," Myka suggested.

"That's easy," Kat said. She stood and walked to a frame holding a painting of the living room. Pete tried taking it off and the frame wouldn't budge. Claudia put down the lamp she had been holding and walked over to the painting with Myka.

"This is it. Do you think the painting's keeping us here?" Pete said.

"Maybe. Wait, the painting changed when Claudia put the lamp on the couch," Kat said, pointing to the couch in the painting. Pete took a pen and drew a door on the painting and the four of them looked to the wall in question to see the same door from the painting. They went to the door only to find that walking through it yielded the same result as before.

"This thing is useless," Pete said, throwing the pen at the painting. The pen bounced off the painting and the walls of the house shook in reflection of the motion. "Did I do that?"

"None of us did," Myka said, indicating to Kat and Claudia as well as herself. Pete ran to the painting and used his nail to make a tear in the canvas. A crack appeared in the wall a second later and Claudia ran to it.

"I can see the Warehouse," Claudia said as she looked through the crack. Myka took a letter opener and kept making cracks until the four of them were able to escape the house.

"Maybe we should have stayed inside," Myka said as they looked up at a huge storm cloud.

"That's not good," Kat said, feeling her stomach drop to the floor.

"We need to get back to the office," Myka said. Claudia instead ran to the nearest computer terminal and pulled up a page with a map of the Warehouse, showing one section flashing red.

"It looks like the problem is in the gooery," Claudia said.

"What's a gooery?" Pete asked.

"It's where the neutralizer fluid gets made and dispersed to the Warehouse so that artifacts don't come out to play," Kat summarized. Pete looked at her in confusion and Kat shook her head at him. "You really need to read the manual."

"So the gooery needs to go back online," Pete said decisively. Thunder was heard overhead and Kat jumped at the sound.

"That needs to happen now."

"What happens if we don't get to it in time?"

"I don't want to find out so let's just get there quickly and get it back online," Kat said.

"What's the fastest way there?" Pete asked. Claudia pulled up a map and pointed out a route that went up and around a dark shape in the middle.

"Why don't we go straight through here?" Pete asked. He pointed out a straight path from their position through the dark shape and to the gooery on the other side. Kat paled and shook her head rapidly.

"No, absolutely not. That's the Dark Vault. Only the really dangerous stuff is kept there. We can't just pass through," she said.

"But we can't just loop around either so I say we take the risk," Pete said.

"I agree," Myka said. Kat stared in surprise as they bickered over if Claudia would stay or go along.

"Guys we don't have a lot of time. If we're going to do this, it has to be done now so let's just go," Kat snapped.

"Me too please?" Claudia pleaded.

"Okay fine, but you stick close and do exactly as we say," Pete said. Claudia smiled in excitement and Kat shook her head again.

"Don't look so happy. You've never been inside the Dark Vault before," she said quietly. She trailed behind the three as they jogged to the entrance of the vault and hacked open the door.

"Man, this place is creep-tastic," Claudia said as the door closed on them.

"Don't look, don't touch. Just keep moving," Myka said. Kat stayed close to her as they made their way around the purple fields containing the artifacts.

"Why are the neutralizer systems still working in here?" Pete asked.

"There are backup generators in place since everything is so dangerous. Don't worry. They should hold out long enough for us to…" Claudia said as the lights started going out. "Realize my karma sucks."

"Just keep moving," Kat said. As Claudia started hacking their way out of the vault, Kat heard keys clacking behind her and turned to find the source of the sound. Pete was standing in a containment field staring at a very familiar black typewriter.

"Pete get away from there," Kat said, walking to the edge of the containment field. Claudia got the door open and had walked out with Myka, who looked back at the two of them in confusion. The door closed on them before they could come back and Kat ran to the door, banging on it furiously.

"Claudia, open this door!" Kat heard the other girl typing and turned back to Pete.

"Pete, can you hear me?" she asked, trying to stay calm. Pete frowned and kept staring at the typewriter.

"Pete, look at me," Kat pleaded. Pete sighed and cocked his head to the side, his focus never leaving the typewriter.

"Pete we need to leave. You have to step away from the typewriter," Kat said, her voice rising in hysteria. Pete didn't move and Kat stepped to the very edge of the containment field circle.

"Pete this thing is dangerous. It will kill you if you don't get away from it," she said, her eyes filling with tears. The door opened up and Claudia rushed in towards Pete.

"Claudia stay where you are," Kat said, putting her hand out to get Claudia to stop. Kat kept her eyes on Pete as Myka pointed out the circle to Claudia.

"Pete, whatcha doing?" Myka asked.

"Oh, nothing," came the slow response.

"He's looking at a typewriter," Claudia stated.

"It's not just any typewriter. It belonged to Sylvia Plath," Myka said, reading the sign next to the typewriter.

"What's that thing doing to him?" Claudia asked.

"It's sucking the life out of him," Kat said hoarsely. Myka looked at her and noticed the tears threatening to fall.

"Kat, are you okay?" she asked. Kat ran forward suddenly and pushed Pete out of the circle, taking his place as she did so.

"What did you do that for?" Claudia asked as Myka caught a stumbling Pete.

"Get out of here," Kat said, her voice slowing losing its energy. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as the whispers started coming to her. _Disgrace. Everyone hates you. You'll always be alone. No one wants you. There's no point. Waste of space. You're not good enough. Why Are You Here? YOU ARE WORTHLESS._

Suddenly Kat was pushed out of the circle and the whispers stopped. She felt hands gently grab her arms and lift her up.

"Kat can you hear me?" Myka asked. Kat felt them move her body into a standing position, but couldn't respond.

"Myka she's shaking. We need to get her out of here," Pete said. Kat looked at him in confusion and looked at the shelves around them.

"When did we get here?' she asked.

"I'll explain later. We need to get to help Myka and Claudia," Pete said. Kat nodded sluggishly and let Pete drag her to the gooery without a fight. Seeing that Kat was still out of it, Pete sat her down at the top of the stairs and went down to get Myka and Claudia away from the silly string artifact that was gluing the gears together. Kat watched numbly as Pete froze the silly string with a snow globe artifact Claudia had in her tool belt and break the string with a hammer, allowing the gears to return to normal.

"Kat are you okay?" Claudia asked as the trio came up the stairs. Kat sluggishly turned to look at her.

"Did you fix it?" Kat asked. Myka kneeled next to her and helped her to stand.

"Guys she's in bad shape. We need to get her to the office," Myka said.

"You two take her up there. I'm going to clean up around here and get the zip line back to normal," Pete said. Myka and Claudia grabbed an arm and helped Kat out of the gooery. The three women slowly made their way back through the aisles and up the stairs into the office. Myka went to find a blanket as Claudia eased Kat down onto an armchair by the umbilicus.

"Is Pete okay?" Kat asked as she curled up on the chair.

"Yeah he's fine. I'm worried about you, though. What's going on?" Claudia asked. Kat didn't answer, letting her eyes close and her body relax against the armchair. Claudia tried shaking Kat to wake her up and looked up at the sound of Myka coming back into the room.

"Should she be asleep?" Claudia asked.

"It's fine for now. There's not much we can do for her since her body is trying to recover from what that typewriter did," Myka said, covering Kat with a thick white blanket.

"I cleaned up the mess," Pete said as he came back into the office. 

"I bet Artie won't even notice," Myka said.

"Won't notice what?" Artie walked into the office and the trio stared at him in brief hesitation.

"Your welcome back surprise party!" Claudia said. They yelled surprise and tried to act like nothing happened.

"Tell me," Artie said. Pete, Myka, and Claudia all looked at each other and started talking all at once about what happened before promising Artie that everything was okay. Artie calmly sat at his desk as he deduced that the Warehouse almost exploded.

"Are we not in trouble?" Claudia asked.

"It looks like you guys had everything under control," Artie said. The three agents looked at each other nervously and Artie frowned. "You did have everything under control, right?" 

"Artie, we had to go through the Dark Vault to get to the gooery in time," Myka said. Artie's frown deepened and his eyes look at Kat's sleeping figure before settling on Myka's face.

"I assume it didn't go well," Artie said.

"Not really," Myka said quietly. Artie nodded and sighed deeply.

"I'll make sure she gets back to Leena's when she wakes up. You all can take off," Artie said, getting up to tuck the blanket around Kat's feet. Pete led the ladies out of the Warehouse with promises to bring Artie back tacos for dinner.

"You can stop faking, they left," Artie said as soon as their voices were out of range. He sat in his chair and watched as Kat untangled herself from the blanket and stretched languorously.

"I thought they would never leave me alone," Kat said with a yawn.

"They were worried about you," Artie pointed out. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "What happened?"

"We had to get to the neutralizer center before the Warehouse exploded and the quickest way was to go through the Dark Vault. I was in favor of sprinting around the Vault, but I was overruled and we went in anyway. We got through it and Sylvia Plath's typewriter trapped Pete as Claudia was getting us out. I pushed him out of the containment field," Kat said, rubbing her face tiredly.

"And you took Pete's place."

"I know it was stupid, but was I supposed to do? He had no idea what the thing could do and I didn't want anyone else to suffer because of it," Kat said defensively.

"I'm just shocked, given your history with the typewriter. What did you was brave. Stupid and reckless, but brave," Artie said. Kat shrugged.

"Are you going to lecture me?" she asked.

"No, but I have to insist that you tell the others. I don't know what specifically happened, but that typewriter almost killed you once so I can imagine today's encounter wasn't pretty," Artie said wryly.

"You're right. I just didn't think I would need to have this conversation yet," Kat said. She stood and folded the blanket before giving Artie a hug. "Thank you."

"Yup," Artie said, hugging her back. He released her and smiled. "I guess it would be too much to have you ask Pete if he saved me a taco."

"You know as well as I do that there is no taco waiting for you at the B&B," Kat said with a smirk.

"It was worth a shot," Artie said with a shrug. Kat grabbed her keys and drove back to the B&B. When she arrived, she sat and stared into space for a long time. Seeing movement in the window, Kat got out and walked inside slowly. There was nobody in sight, but she knew that Leena would be waiting for her somewhere. She walked into the sitting room and saw Leena sitting at the table with a stern look on her face. Kat sighed and took a seat across from the woman.

"What did they tell you?"

"Nothing. They wanted to wait until you got home," Leena said. Kat covered Leena's hand with her own.

"It was bad, but I am fine now," Kat said. Leena squeezed her hand tightly.

"Don't do any more stupid things, Kat." Kat smiled slightly.

"I can't really promise that. Doing stupid things comes with the job," she said.

"Then don't make it a habit," came Claudia's voice. She came into the room with Pete and Myka on her heels.

"You okay?" Myka asked, rubbing Kat's back gently.

"I'm fine now. I'm sorry you guys had to see that," Kat said.

"What happened? How come I didn't get affected the same way you did?" Pete asked.

"Because that was your first contact with the typewriter," Kat said.

"You mean you've been affected by it before?" Myka asked. Kat stood and went upstairs to her room. She went into her closet and pushed away shoes to reveal an old wooden box the size of a briefcase. She brushed off the dust and took it downstairs to the sitting room. She put it on the table and let the others open it.

"The typewriter is a fairly recent addition to the Warehouse. Artie found it about five years ago in New Orleans, Louisiana. In my father's house, to be more specific," Kat said, watching Pete and Myka take out old files.

"You told me that your parents are dead," Claudia said.

"They are. My uncle killed them and made it look like an accident so that he could have the house." The explanation was met with dead silence and horrified stares. Kat rifled through the stack of files and pulled out one with a Scotland Yard logo on it.

"This is the file on my parents' murder. You know that my family is Russian. My great-grandfather owned a shipping company in the early 1900s and grew wealthy from it. As such, his children and grandchildren received a massive inheritance that included international properties and several millions of rubles in today's economy. My father inherited his share of the money, an apartment in London, and a house here in the States, which had been bought on the whim of my great-grandmother," Kat explained as Myka looked through the file with Pete and Claudia digging through the rest of the box. More files came out, this time with the logo of Interpol stamped on the front. Leena came to stand behind Kat and rubbed the young woman's shoulders in an attempt to soothe her.

"Kat who is this?" Pete asked. In his hand was her uncle's mug shot.

"That is Ivan Petrokovich, my uncle. He and several of his associates disappeared after a fire destroyed my father's house. He was assumed to be dead until the NYPD caught him by accident during the take down of an illegal gambling ring several weeks ago," Kat responded.

"How did the fire happen?" Pete asked.

"The explosion was caused by a gas leak," Myka said for Kat. She was reading a file from the New Orleans Police Department. "It says here that the gas leak was caused by a hole that seemed to have been made with some sort of blade. It also says…that your uncle was suspected to have been managing a prostitution ring out of the house."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Claudia asked as she took the file from Myka's hands.

"It's embarrassing and inhumane. I didn't want you to think differently of me because of this," Kat said, blankly staring at the table. She was fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"How does Sylvia Plath's typewriter fit into this?" Myka asked as she put down another file.

"My uncle had a fondness for old things and found it in a pawnshop. You now know that the typewriter sucks out your will to live. The owner of the shop told him that death followed the typewriter, but my uncle didn't listen. I found it in the closet of the room that he kept me during the six months of my capture. It had been collecting dust there since my uncle had forgotten about it," Kat explained.

"Please tell me you didn't use it," Pete said fearfully. Kat weakly shrugged at him.

"I found it and almost immediately succumbed to its power. It took me a week to plan my suicide and carry it out. I was supposed to die in the fire along with my uncle and his associates, but Artie pulled me and the typewriter away from the house just in time to see it blow up."

"How come it took you a week?" Pete asked in confusion. Kat's hands had turned to fists and tears started welling up in her eyes.

"Uncle Ivan was a big fan of prostitutes, but only ones that he brought into the country. Whenever they were in between shipments of girls, he would visit me in my room. I don't think I have to tell you what he did once let himself in," Kat said emotionlessly. Claudia looked at Kat in surprise. Kat's face was blank, but her eyes were full of pain and hatred.

"That same week, Interpol had intercepted Ivan's men in Spain and had sent the girls back to their families. For days, Uncle was pissed and took out his anger on me. One day he left to go out for a drink and that's when I stabbed the gas main," Kat continued. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Artie had snuck into the house when I wasn't looking and had grabbed the typewriter by the time I had started running. He neutralized the typewriter and the depressed haze that I was under went away. Artie took me to the police and they sent me to the hospital for a psych evaluation. I was sent back to the station after being diagnosed with depression and severe PTSD. That's where Mrs. Frederic found me. The NOPD didn't know what to do with me so they let her take me. She became my legal guardian and I've lived here ever since." Everyone was silent for a long time. Myka and Claudia had tears running down their faces and Claudia went to sit next to Kat.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through so much pain. I just wish you would have told me," she said as she put her hand on Kat's knee.

"It takes me a while to open up to anybody. I had the hardest time opening up to Artie and Leena, but Mrs. Frederic knows everything because she's my guardian and she needed to understand where my issues come from. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid to bring it up," Kat said, pleading with her eyes for Claudia to understand.

"Kat none of this changes how I see you. Or how Pete and Myka see you. We love you for who you are, not what your past was like," Claudia said with a tiny smile.

"You've never judged us for what we did before we came to the Warehouse. Why would we judge you for the same thing?" Myka said, taking the seat on Kat's other side. Pete put the case files back in the box and leaned against the table.

"Listen to me Kat. It's going to take a lot more than old case files to change how we see you or act around you. We can't hate you for what you didn't do. I doubt it's possible for us to hate you at all," he said seriously. Kat's tears stopped and she studied Pete's face. He was totally serious and he completely believed what he was saying. Kat rubbed her face and took a deep sigh.

"I get what you guys are saying and I believe you. I just don't want you guys to be my friends or give me attention out of pity," she said in stronger voice than before. They all nodded in agreement and Claudia held her hand tightly as she calmed down some more. Kat squeezed her hand gratefully once she had calmed down and wiped her face dry.

"I'm a mess," she joked, earning laughter from Claudia and Myka. "I can only imagine how it'll be when I go and give my testimony at my uncle's trial."

"Yeah it's going to be nothing but waterworks," Claudia said. They all laughed and sat in silence for a while.

"I should put this away, but I don't want to look at it right now," Kat said as she stared at the box. Pete took the box from her and stood up.

"I'll hide it somewhere upstairs and then we'll go get ice cream," he said. He was running upstairs before Kat could protest.

"That's a good idea. It'll help take your mind off things," Leena said as she hugged Kat's shoulders. Kat nodded reluctantly and stood with Myka and Claudia.

"Don't leave without me. I forgot my phone in my room," Claudia said as she ran to the stairs. Kat smirked and shook her head at Claudia's retreating figure. She turned to the door and saw Pete and Myka looking at her with knowing grins.

"Can I help you?" Kat asked, the smirk leaving her face.

"You should tell her," Pete said vaguely.

"Tell her what?"

"How you feel," Myka said. Kat raised an eyebrow at her.

"If you think she's clueless now, can you imagine how awkward she's going to feel when she finds out that Mommy and Daddy were trying to set us up," Kat said, pointing between the two agents. They protested the titles, but quickly shut up when Claudia came downstairs. Kat smiled at the reaction and knew that that line of questioning had been put on hold for the time being. She knew that eventually she would not be able to keep her feelings secret and she would have to tell Claudia, but this was not that time.

A note about this chapter: I don't actually know how the typewriter works. The show wasn't too clear on that so I came up with something that I thought would fit the description. And Kat's reaction is how I would think somebody with PTSD would react when coming into contact with the source of their trauma. I am not an expert in this field by any means and I would never say anything to purposefully discredit the struggles of those with PTSD so my apologies if this offends somebody. I wrote that because I thought it fit in with the overall arc I have planned for Kat.


End file.
